Cleaning Tuna?

[kingfisher]

Any good tips on fileting tuna.. Or links.

Thx

[DipSeaDiver]

Me too, Me too!! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Threemuch]

1st. Ya don't fillet a tuna. You loin them. And what you get in then end are loins, not fillets.

B. Tuna should be very cold prior to cleaning. It's important.

3. Make a cut through the skin about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep around the outline of the fish. I start at the top of the head, down the back to the tail. Then from the top of the head, behind the hard parts along the gill, behind the pectoral, down to the belly. Then out from the belly to the tail. A Box cutter is a good tool for this.

D. Grab the skin at the top of the head and peel the skin right off. Some of the belly meat will come off on the skin. Save this for smoking, crab bait, halibut bait, or throw it away. I don't like it, it is large grained and very oily. If the fish has worms, they will be there.

5. You will se a dark lateral line. It is not edible, and full of wicked sharp bones. Cut above and below it. I cut through the ribs on the lower loins, but it's your choice.

6. You then peel each loin off. You can use a knife, but if you are careful, you don't need it. If you cut through the ribs on the bottom loin, you have to cut them out. If you didn't, you left a bit of meat on the cark.

7. Flip and repeat.

Two big rules. 1. Be GENTLE. The stuff is the consistancy of pumpkin. 2. Little or no freshwater rinse. The meat will literally disolve under freshwater pressure. I wipe it off and bag it.

It's way easy if someone shows you how, and when you have done a few, should be 5-10 minutes a fish, hopefully closer to 5.

Using this method, there are probably a couple cans of meat on the cark. Go for it if you want it.

[kingfisher]

Kurt,
Thanks alot
Rich

[Big Dog]

Here is a link for you.

Tuna loining

[Threemuch]

Yeah, what's the easy way? Would have been useful information when I was carking fish on the aft end of your boat.

Lemme guess...hand crew knife, steel, bags, and point at fish. Hey that is the easy way!

KB

[Miss B Haven]

I think Popeye was refering to big dogs link as the hard way.

Actually the really easy way is to either take em to Sturgeon Pauls, or let the crew do it while you're trying to clean the boat and pick up gear! Don't ask me how I know this. :grin:
Ok - on second though maybe Popeye was refering to the latter method.

[ 07-10-2003, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[Popeye]

That's the HARD way :shocked:

[Pilar]

Thanks, Kurt.

Peeling them first is definetly easier.

[edsr]

Hey Popeye -

What is an easier way?

Please describe your technique.

edsr