We get asked every trip “what’s the best way to cook Albacore tuna”, and the answer is…just about any and every way you can imagine from raw, seared, and cooked.
Albacore tuna shares many of the same nutritional advantages as other types of tuna. It’s a rich source of complete protein, selenium and vitamin B-12. However there are a few differences. Albacore is a better source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than other tuna species. Even though albacore tuna has less fat than meat and poultry, it’s a rich source of essential omega-3 fatty acids that lower your risk of heart disease. It contains the two types of omega-3 fatty acids — EPA and DHA — that lower triglycerides, slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaques and prevent arrhythmias. (sfgate.com)
Whether the Albacore you take home is caught on one of our charters by you or a fish we caught on commercial endeavors, the fish you leave the dock with will be the highest quality by always bleeding and chilling our catch immediately after capture.
Albacore Tuna Recipes
Always remove any bloodline (red meat), sinew, and scales from loins prior to preparation.
“Cook it like a Steak”
- Cut chilled loin into 1-1.5″ wide steaks
- Mix 1/4 cup Olive oil, 1 tablespoon of Montreal Steak seasoning, 1 tablespoon fine chopped Garlic, and 1 teaspoon red Pepper Flakes
- Combine Tuna Steaks and Marinade, carefully massaging to coat all sides of the fish, marinate in fridge for 10 minutes
- Heat grill to medium-high and season grill with olive oil
- Grill steaks to medium rare. This will only be about 90 seconds per side. DONT OVER COOK. TIME IT!
Serve with Robert Rothschilds Pineapple Habenero Sauce, a fresh salad, and homestyle steak fries.
“Asian BBQ Style”
- Cut chilled loin into 1-1.5″ wide steaks
- Mix 1/4 cup Marukan Yuzu Ponzu Sauce, 1 tablespoon of Teriyaki Sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Ginger, 1 teaspoon red Pepper Flakes, 1 teaspoon Sesame Seed.
- Combine Tuna Steaks and Marinade, carefully massaging to coat all sides of the fish, marinate in fridge for 10 minutes
- Heat grill to medium-high and season grill with olive oil
- Grill steaks to medium rare. This will only be about 90 seconds per side. DONT OVER COOK. TIME IT!
Serve with a side of Marukan Yuzu Ponzu Sauce, a fresh salad with Sam Choy’s Oriental Sesame dressing, and white rice.
“Sear It”
- Cut chilled loin into 4″ wide steaks
- Mix 1 tablespoon of each Olive oil and Sesame seed, then add 1 teaspoon of each Black Pepper, Sesame oil, and Sea Salt
- Roll 4″ wide loins into the searing marinade, then place fish into freezer (no more than 10 minutes)
- Heat non-stick pan and 1 teaspoon of Olive oil to medium-high
- Remove fish from freezer and place into heated pan
- Sear fish on all four sides and both ends for 60 seconds each side/end, 6 total. DONT OVER COOK. TIME IT!
- Place loins immediatley back into freezer for 5 minutes
- Remove after 5 minutes and slice loin into 1″ wide steaks
Serve with pan fried asparagus, and white rice. Dipping sauces: Soy, Wasabi, Sweet Chili, Teriaki.
“Far Corners Tuna Poke”
- 1/2 cup chopped Green Oinion
- 1/2 cup Chopped Sweet Onion
- 1/4 cup Soy
- 1 tablespoon Grated Ginger
- 1 tablespoon Hot Chili Oil
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Seed
- 1 teaspoon Wasabi
Mix all ingredients together. Chill for 1 hour prior to adding Tuna. Can be combined with Tuna right away if needed. Eat fresh.
- Cut 1.5lb-2lbs of chilled Tuna loins into 1/2″ cubes.
- Carefully mix chilled cubed Tuna in the chilled Poke marinade
Serve with Sesame, Ritz, or most other crackers. Chopped Seaweed (Nori) goes along nicely with this recipe too!
“Tuna Patties”
“Marco’s Ceviche”
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Jalapeño pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Cilantro
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Red Onion
- 1 large Hass Avocado cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Garlic
- 2 teaspoons of each salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed Lime juice
Mix all ingredients together except Tuna and Avocado. Chill for 1 hour prior to adding Tuna and Avocado. Can be combined with Tuna and Avocado right away if needed. Eat fresh.
- Cut 1.5lb-2lbs of chilled Tuna loins into 1/2″ cubes.
- Carefully mix chilled cubed Tuna and Avocado in the chilled Ceviche marinade
Serve with sturdy Tortilla chips.
“Bacon Wrapped Medallions”
- Cut chilled Tuna lions into 1.5 inch wide medalion
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup Coconut Amino’s
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Fish Sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- Slices of thin-cut bacon
Combine all ingredients except the bacon to make the marinade. Marinade in refridgerator for 15 minutes.
Place bacon on a microwave safe plate over several layers of paper towels, place several layers of paper towels over the bacon and microwave for 2 minutes. Wrap each tuna medalion with one peice of bacon using a toothpick to secure the ends of the bacon around the tuna. Place the tuna wrapped medalions upright in the oven (on broil) or BBQ (med-high) for about 3 minutes per side, two sides total.
“Tuna Nuggets”
Captain Marks favorite!
- Cut Chilled Tuna loins into 2″ wide chunks
- Pride of the West batter, with water or beer
- Heat deep fryer to 400 degrees
- Toss Tuna into batter and throughly coat
- Carefully drop coated Tuna into fryer for 90 seconds. DONT OVER COOK. TIME IT!
Serve with Marina’s Tartar Sauce, Salad, and French Fries.
“Avocado Tuna Salad”
“Why Even Cook It”
- Thin sliced raw Albacore Tuna (before or after freezing it is your call)
- Marukan Yuzu Ponzu Sauce for dipping
- Soy Sauce and Wasabi for dipping
- Goes well with white rice balls, and seaweed.
“Tuna Enchiladas”
Serves 6
- 5 cans Coleman Fish Albacore, or home canned tuna
- 1/3 cup red onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup jalapeños, chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1, 2.25oz can sliced olives
- 2, 14oz jars green or red enchilada sauce
- 1, 10oz bag Mexican blend cheese
- 12-14 medium corn tortillas (be sure to warm in skillet or griddle before filling, do not microwave)
Mix tuna, onion, cilantro, jalepenos, olives and 5 ounces of cheese in a mixing bowl. Warm tortillas in a skillet or griddle, then fill and roll. Lay filled and rolled tortillas in a baking dish and smother with enchilada sauce. Add the remaining 5 ounces of cheese on top. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven after 30 minutes and let rest for 10 minutes with cover off.
“Home Canned”
If you can wash dishes and boil water, you can “can” Tuna…it’s that easy and you’ll NEVER think of canned Tuna the same way again!
Whats needed: Search these on Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Ace Hardware, Dennis Co.
- Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker (handles 16 wide mouth pint jars)
- Ball Wide Mouth Pint Jars with Lids and Bands
Recipe #1
- Cut tuna loins into large chunks and fill wide mouth pint jars 2/3 of the way full, leaving 1.5″ of head space
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of each Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- Add bottled water to each jar to match the level of Tuna. Niether should go higher than 1.5″ to the top
- Be sure to follow the sterilization and cooking steps that go along with your canner, or look online.
- Cook for 90 minutes at 15psi
Recipe #2
- Add one Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce by Embasa into empty jar
- Cut tuna loins into large chunks and fill wide mouth pint jars 2/3 of the way full, leaving 1.5″ of head space
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of each Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- Add bottled water to each jar to match the level of Tuna. Niether should go higher than 1.5″ to the top
- Be sure to follow the sterilization and cooking steps that go along with your canner, or look online.
- Cook for 90 minutes at 15psi
Step 1 can be substituted for a thousand different ingredients. We tried many and most turn out really good. Our overall favorite and most versatile is Recipe #1.