Hindustan Times
Timepass: Tiffin with tuna
With stratospheric fish prices, a healthy and delicious — but ethically uncomfortable — alternative is in the markets
First, the warning: This column is about a fish that you or I should perhaps not be eating.
I bought it for two reasons: At a time when ridiculous prices were being quoted for my other favourites (Rs 500 per kg for sole; Rs 400 for surmai, or kingfish), the tuna I found was selling at Rs 150 per kg.
Stocks of tuna across the world have been depleting at an alarming rate, thanks to rapacious overfishing. The tuna specie most endangered is the Atlantic bluefin, the fish most favoured in sushi. The bluefin — which is dogged fighter and can grow longer and broader than you and I — has been so targeted by industrial fishing ships to feed the growing worldwide appetite for sushi that ocean stocks are down by 75 per cent. The country most responsible for this calamitous decline is Japan, which takes about 80 per cent of the worldwide bluefin catch.
I have not joined the bluefin-tuna crime scene by waffling down tuna sushi, which is almost impossible to find in India. My connection with tuna in general has been limited to its canned variety.
So, I was astonished this week to find tuna at my fishmonger in Delhi’s INA Market. Tuna is not something I see very often, and it certainly isn’t a fish I’ve ever bought from a market in India.
Let me hastily clarify that this was no bluefin tuna. I’m guessing it was the blackfin tuna, which frequents the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Its numbers too have dwindled, as with all fish, but not as precipitously as its cousin the bluefin.
So, after reluctantly giving up on the sole and surmai, I turned my attention to the yellowfin. At Rs 150 per kg, the price seemed unbelievable (even black pomfret was Rs 280 per kg). Could this be true?
Well, I thought, let’s try it. So I selected what seemed like a reasonably sized 2-kg fish, firm and fresh: Blackfins don’t grow as big as their bluefin cousines. I had it cut into thick slices and with breathless anticipation rushed home.
Now, I do know that tuna is an especially healthy fish to eat. This must have a lot to do with the fact that it is one of the ocean’s strongest swimmers, migrating great distances and capable to speeds up to 48 kmph. Now, that is fast! All this builds muscle and fibre.
I’ve put away most of the tuna in my freezer, so please send me ideas on what to do. It’s a heavy fish and very filling, so it takes well to spices. While I was cleaning it, I couldn’t resist putting aside three steaks for my early lunch — or tiffin as we call it in the south.
You can read about my experiment below. I am happy to report it was delicious, eaten with rice, rajma and some Sindhi sai bhaji.
I am now officially a fan of tuna, but I will make sure I eat it only every once in a while.
Fresh, fried tuna
3 tuna steaks (tell your fishermonger you want pieces for frying; 1-inch thick steaks should do)
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
Salt
Method: Add all of the above to the steaks and marinate for at least an hour. In a non-stick pan, gently heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Increase heat. Fry steak on one side till golden brown, then flip to do the same for the other side. Reduce heat and ensure steaks are cooked through.
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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surmai has always been 400 rs or more in INA…I have been frequenting that market for last 2 yrs now..n the guy there always sells me the surmai for 400 rs..i dont know much abt tuna…but i m basically a Rohu Fan…many people refer to it as the cheap variety but i m happy with it..the only issue being it has lot of bones in it ..so u need to be good at weeding them out while eating
but the meat is actually much more tasty than the bigger variety of fishes like surmai etc…
Rohu comes for Rs 100-120 Rs /kg…also there was 1 more vareity..name starting with p..cant remember it now…which looked good as well and was priced reasonable..
For me INA fish market feels like heaven..my family finds it strange but i find shopping for Non veg food acts like a retail theraphy for me!
everytime i go to INA i end up buying 4-5 varieties of fishes
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
but I used to get it for Rs 300 or so until six months ago.
oh well.
Hey, I am going to use your dahi machch recipe soon and mention your real name, can I have it please? I’ve forgotten; I know I’ve asked you this once before…
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vikas0505 Reply:
June 18th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
@Chinz: Not sure if you mean p= Pangas? Thats actually a nice curry fish though once when I tried it for frying, it did not come out well. I guess it burns faster because of low fat content.
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Chinz, the bigger the rohu, the bigger and harder the bones, so easier to weed out. Less danger of a thorn-like piece getting lodged in your throat. What I do is buy a whole 3.5 to 4 kilo katla, which is very similar to rohu in taste, and I prefer its texture to that of rohu. If you enjoy the fish head like I do, buying the whole fish makes that much more sense.
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Chinz Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
@sushmita..somehow i dont enjoy the fish head at all..but my mom loves it! i generally avoid the tail (coz its cumbersome to eat it coz of many bones in it) n avoid the head too coz i feel there is nothing much to have there! Its the trunk that gets me going!
and yeah i do follow this rule that biger the rohu..easier to eat!
n u got surmai for 300? the INA guy considers u his preferred customer it seems!! it was always 400 for me since last 2 yrs 
@samar..name is sowmya..n credit to doi maach shud go to u only..i jst happdn to bring it up here again
@vikas0505..dont remeber the name..jst know it starts with P…will ask the fishermen when i happen to c it next time!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:32 pm
You eat fish like my mum does. I like the tail, my dad the head.
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here is my favourite fish recipe (other than Indian stylee) – won’t work with the fillet but thought i should share it with you.
I use a mid-size fish called Yellow fish in Chinese – you can take a full tuna may be. Clean the fish and then make some incisions on both sides. Put some chopped ginger and garlic and onions in the cuts. add lots of lemon juice. Then sprinkle some olive oil and out in the baking tray in the silver foil – put the extra onions around the fish. You can add a bit red wine vinegar to the fish and some salt and pepper and coriander leaves. cover the fish with the foil and let it bake for 30 mins. It goes very well with baked vegetables and salad – very light and fresh for the summer!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 21st, 2010 at 11:54 am
Vivek, this is very interesting. thank you
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It’s a lovely recipe. But I wondered, why fry it? The texture is firm.One can make a great salad with it. Or have it raw with a dipping sauce of soy and wasabi. I love the column. Thanks. Keep writing.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:31 pm
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Steam it, shred it, mix mayo & stuff in sandwich!
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:31 pm
no, no, no, no
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Arun Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 2:32 pm
I once had a sandwich called ‘Tuna melt’. It is basically steamed Tuna, some greens, cheese between two pieces of pita bread and grilled. The cheese melts into the Tuna, so the name ‘Tuna melt’. It was awsome.
By the way, while buying Tuna, buy only big sized ones ( at least 2 kgs or more). Smaller Tunas have more Mercury than big ones, which are harmful.
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Hey Samar, how about using Tuna by steaming the marinated (salt, pepper and lemon juice) tuna and using it as a topping on chesse crackers, waffers. It goes best with lemon and garlic mayonnaise.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:30 pm
ummm, well. I’m not sure that is the best use for fresh tuna. But to each his own of course
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Tonmoy Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
you should try it Samar. It makes a great tuna dip if you flake the steamed tuna, add some garlic mayo (pref. home made – the bottled stuff is too sweet), and some chopped parsley or dhania. Great on toast or crackers and just right for this weather.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 1:12 am
ok, ok, i will
Hi Samar !
Thanks for bringing back my fav topic ie ‘fish’.Can gorge on them any time……may it be any variety.Yes,I love Tuna too.The best way to cook them is the way u cook meat…keeping the fish pieces small.Have u ever tried that ? I’m sure u will love it.By the way,I love both the head n tail part of fish n the stomach part as well esp of the thorny ones like rohu n hilsa.I remember being nicknamed ‘billi’ as a child for my passion for fish.:))
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
July 10th, 2010 at 1:12 am
billi?? that’s pretty apt if you can handle the bones and all. Me, I’m a sea fish man
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@samar are you talking about this fish:http://www.kerala-recipe.com/cms/UploadedFiles/Glossary/27_Glossary.jpg
it is called neymeen in malayalam, and is one of the favorite fishes in kerala. If it is the same fish, you can ask around malayalees, they will surely know where to find them.
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Samar Halarnkar Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
i will check
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