Why Do They Cut the Tail Off Tuna?
When you think of tuna, you probably don’t think of the process of how they’re harvested. After all, it’s not just the fish that’s important; it’s how they’re processed and marketed after they’re caught.
If you’ve watched the reality TV show Wicked Tuna, you might have seen the deckhands of the boats on the series cut the tail off of their catch to increase its weight. This practice has been criticized by viewers and is considered inhumane. However, it is legal in the United States.
The reasons why people do this aren’t always obvious, so let’s go over some of them. First of all, they help the fish cool down quickly and allow it to keep its meat longer.
A lot of tunas can contain dozens of gallons of blood, and this can make them quite warm once they’re on board the boat. This can cause the meat to spoil much quicker, so this is why they need to bleed them out as soon as possible after they’ve been caught.
Bleeding a fish can also be beneficial to commercial fishermen because it helps reduce the amount of fuel their boat uses. When a tuna is a big pound or more, it can take up a lot of space on the boat, so this is a way that they can get rid of some of that space for extra gear.
Another reason why they bleed the tuna is to remove any bacteria that may have been in their bloodstream when they were caught. Bacteria can make a tuna taste a little off and can even change the texture of the meat, so this is something that they want to try to do as soon as possible after they’ve been picked up from the boat.
Once the gills are cut, the fish will start to bleed out. This will help to remove any unwanted toxins or bacteria that may be in the bloodstream and it will allow it to cool down more rapidly.
After you’ve bled the tuna, you need to clean it thoroughly before you can begin to eat it. This will ensure that the meat stays fresh and doesn’t develop any odors or bad flavors from the lactic acid that can be released as it is sliced.
There are several ways to bleed a fish, but the most common way is to use a sharp knife to cut through the lateral line of the tuna. You’ll need to make a clean cut that goes from the base of the pectoral fin all the way down to the tail.
The easiest way to do this is to lay the tuna on its side and then measure the width of two fingers from the base of the pectoral fin along the lateral line. Then, using a very sharp knife, cut the lateral line cleanly and smoothly.
Once the lateral line is cut, you can move on to cutting the loin of the tuna. This will give you a good amount of meat that can be used in tartare or stuffed into sushi.
