Yellow fin Tuna
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Kitchen - Seafood Recipes
Forum Description: Share your favourite seafood recipes here
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=139987
Printed Date: 27 Jan 2026 at 4:28am
Topic: Yellow fin Tuna
Posted By: Mc Tool
Subject: Yellow fin Tuna
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 10:16am
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We tried YFT steaks last night (frozen packaged vacuum ). We followed inst ,60 sec on one side , 90 on the other, bit of salt and pepper and.....miserably disappointed ,tasted like tasteless pork . The packet said it was "sashimi grade " and it was much paler looking than the hunks of fresh stuff in the deli . Did we go wrong cooking it or is it overrated? ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Replies:
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 10:40am
| Was it more or less raw in the middle? If not, then overcooked. Better raw or lightly seared. |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 11:27am
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Just seared on outside ,still raw in middle and that was the best bit, shoulda just sashimi'd the stuff. It does cook thru much quicker than steak tho ,like 60 sec on one side and less than 90 on other was plenty . I can see peeps overcooking it easily ,even rare steak can handle 4 mins per side .....tuna would have been dust by then . Dollar for dollar its about the same as fresh raw Salmon but the Salmon tastes better. We often just pig out a big hunk of Salmon ,wasabi and soy sauce for tea ( no dishes 😁 )....might try a bit of YFT like that . ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 12:15pm
I hear you Mc Tool. I think cooked tuna is a bit over-rated too. Interestingly, I have some Rotoiti trout fillets in the freezer. Look and taste very similar to salmon. Honestly! I'm not a huge fan of eating trout, but these fish are something special.   |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 12:35pm
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I have heard that Rotoiti trout can get quite pink /orange flesh from eating Koura so I spose they would get the taste too. I do smoke the odd trout from local river (Aparima @Thornbury 9883 ) but mostly I either put them back or give them away. I haven't sashimi'd trout coz Im a bit leary of all the cow **** and fertiliser floating down the river (not safe for swimming )......no ****, I have seen rafts of potatoes floating past 😁. Lady from fish and game said they are safe to eat because fish dont drink the water......dunno if she was taking the piss or not .🙂 ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: BotStomper
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 12:51pm
| I've never had good results with tuna that's been frozen. Ended up with quite a bit of SBFT because mates go to Waihau and catch 2 good ones and suddenly they need a home for 80kg of meat. Absolutely incredible when fresh, goes rapidly downhill after that. I've eaten plenty of YFT as well, can't think of a single time I've had it cooked and enjoyed it. Sushi or rawfish/ika mata all day long, bloody magic like that. |
Posted By: Mc Tool
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 1:06pm
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I have been tempted by the fresh YFT in the shop but as you say fresh is good but I have no way of knowing how old it actually is .....and how old would still be fresh . Im thinking couple of days max , but if you ask they are suddenly all dummies and nobody knows nuffin . Sniff test is out ,I mean I would not want to buy fish that who knows who has wiped their nose(s) on it previously ,and its shrink packaged on a tray anyhow . ------------- I wish I was young again .... Id be heaps smarter than this time |
Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2025 at 7:51pm
I have only fished Rotoiti once, got some very nice fat trout as in your pic MB all around 5 to 7lb, absolute beauties. The best part was one of our group didn't want his so I scored them. I've had trout from Tongariro, Lake Taharoa, Kai Iwi lake & a local Waiuku lake. The local lake ones tasted like mud, the fish from Kai Iwi tasted like mud, the 20 or so from Lake Taharoa which is only a few hundred meters from there were reasonably tasting fish. The ones from Tongariro were tasty but the Rotoiti fish were something special. orange flesh & oily as, very much like salmon (my favourite eating fish)as you said. Anyway, this about YFT, I've had it fresh and it's great. The only frozen I've had was smoked. I had some sashimi kingfish a couple of weeks ago. It had been frozen. Taste wasn't bad, texture was kind of mushy. ------------- Best gurnard fisherman in my street |
MB wrote:Posted By: Jaapie
Date Posted: 06 Jun 2025 at 9:11am
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A very acceptable way to use up tuna is smoking it. Yeah - fresh sashimi is always going to be best, followed by the seared way or even poke like they do in Hawaii. As you guys mention, having a massive amount you can't do it all, but after it has been frozen, smoking it does it justice and these smoked bits go so well into pasta sauces, making spreads etc. @Smudge - mate, the fish tends to go mushy I have found when slow smoked. I tend to use my weber and hot smoke it. Holds it together much better and the process is much faster too. ------------- "Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught,will we realize that we cannot eat money" - 19th Century Indian Creed |