What do you think about when you hear the word tuna? Maybe it comes to your mind that delicious meal you ate at a fancy restaurant. Or perhaps, the sushi you tried not so long ago. But do you know the benefits of eating tuna and the different species you can find?
Tuna is a part of the mackerel fish family and, more importantly, it is one of the most consumed fish all over the world. That’s right, it is very important in the global fishing industry. You can find it canned, fresh and frozen.
For now we are going to focus on the last two.
See below some of the main tuna benefits:
- High in protein
- High in Omega-3 fatty acids
- Good source of vitamin B and vitamin D
- Great source of potassium, phosphorus and magnesium.
The Omega-3 fatty acids help to bring balance in the blood vessels and this reduces the cholesterol in the arteries.
Potassium is known for lowering blood pressure which makes it a great combo with the omega-3 fatty acids.
Vitamin B is a major component in strengthening the bones and keeping our skin healthy.
Now, the top 3 species that you will find in the market are the Bluefin, Albacore and Yellowfin.
Bluefin tuna is the biggest of all tuna species and is quite popular in American and especially Japanese cuisine. Its also known as ‘maguro’ in Japanese. Their meat colour is between light red/pink and dark red and is the fattiest of all the tunas.
Albacore tuna is one of the smallest species of tuna and normally their meat is white coloured when cooked. Albacore is also known as ‘Tombo’ by the Hawaiians, Albacore tuna can be quite fatty when it comes specifically from the pacific northwest, for example Alaska, BC, Washington, or Oregon. The cold water albacore is also known to have less mercury than its warm water dwelling counterparts.
When albacore is frozen, you can notice how fatty it is depending on how pink or white it is. The whiter the flesh, the fattier.
Last but not least, the Yellowfin tuna. This one is typically called ‘Ahi’, which literally means “fire”, because ancient Hawaiian fishermen used to refer to it with that name, probably due to its bright red color. The texture of this tuna will have a sticky feel to it and the color should be purplish to deep or bright red. Yellowfin tuna is probably the most popular tuna you can find in the regular market. Its also very similar to Big Eye tuna, often they are confused.
Don’t forget to check out our social media for tuna recipes @7seafishmarket and let us know if you would like to know more about how to cook or any other doubts you may have.