Maguro (What is Maguro Tuna and Maguro Sushi Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is maguro in sushi? ›

Maguro (mah-goo-roh) or hon-maguro (which means “genuine tuna” or “true tuna” as there are many species of tuna), is the Japanese term for bluefin tuna, perhaps the best known and most commonly eaten fish in all of sushi dining, particularly the famous toro sushi.

Maguro broadly refers to tuna. If you go to a sushi restaurant and just order maguro, the chef will assume you mean lean tuna (akami) from whatever species of tuna they have on hand.

Maguro, also known as tuna, is a familiar edible fish that belongs to the mackerel family in its biology classification. Most tuna are massive in size, can swim fast over a wide range of ocean, are higher intermediate predators in the food chain of the sea, and have a streamlined body.

I'm getting ahead of myself—first, here is a list of the different types of sushi fish I'll be presenting: Pacific bluefin tuna - akami, chutoro, otoro, negitoro. Atlantic salmon - sāmon and harasu. Salmon roe - ikura.

It is a tasty balance of the lean (akami) and the fatty (toro) meat. Chuturo is taken from parts of the back and abdomen of the maguro, it accounts for about 30% of the total quantity and is therefore priced between akami and otoro. The meat is extremely tender and has a slightly sweet buttery taste.

Toro refers to the fatty part of the tuna's belly, and the fattiest part is called Otoro, while the most fatty part is called tuna. The next most common part is called Chutoro.

How to eat Sashimi: 🥢 Most types of sashimi are seasoned with soy sauce by dipping each piece into a small dish of soy sauce before eating it. It is usually the diners' responsibility to fill the small dishes with soy sauce, and it is good manner to pour only as much soy sauce as needed.

The FDA recommends consuming fish lower in mercury. For tuna varieties, skipjack earns the Best Choice label from the FDA, while yellowfin and albacore receive the Good Choice label. The FDA suggests avoiding bigeye tuna, which has the highest levels of mercury.

In its natural state, fresh tuna is dark red, almost maroon, sometimes even chocolatey-looking.

What is the best raw tuna to eat? ›

Bluefins are widely regarded as the Kings of the Tuna family, and rightfully so. Thanks to a number of physical attributes, Bluefins boast a richness of flavor you just won't find in another fish. Bluefin Tuna are almost exclusively found in the form of sashimi.

Though usually eaten fresh and uncooked, there are also many ways of cooking tuna such as grilled with salt, broiled in sweet teriyaki sauce, simmered in soups, or cubed and stewed. The area surrounding the tuna's spine and dorsal area has the most consumable meat.

Maguro or tuna was considered as trash fish, not preferred during the Edo period and its fatty part was discarded. A maturing period of 4-10 days is set in order to bring out best in maguro such as a fine sourness and faint sweetness of fat.

Japanese Amberjack or Yellowtail (Hamachi)

A different species of tuna,hamachi, is a very popular fish used in sushi making. It is lighter in color thanmaguro and considered a white fish with a soft texture and full flavor, often leaving one with citrusy notes.

Otoro is from the belly, or underside, of the fish and has the highest fat content — otoro translates to 'big fat'. Because of this fattiness, the otoro falls apart easily and can quite literally melt in your mouth. It is the most sought after part of the fish because of its flavour and texture.