Seared Tuna - Safe?


 
J

JoeR

TVWBB Member
I love the taste of seared tuna at restaurants, and was wondering do I need sashimi grade tuna to do this at home? One of my few experiences with food poisoning was from buying regular tuna, & eating raw a couple of years ago.... However, I suspect most seared tuna isn't the $18.00 + per pound sashimi grade stuff.

Obviously, no one replying to this thread will be held liable if they convince me to take my life into my own hands & sear away
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I always purchase sashimi grade from my local japanese market if I am searing it. I know it is expensive, but it is worth it in my honest opinion.
 
The reality of the situation is that NO raw or underooked seafood is 100% safe. Bacteria is not the issue. The issue is parasites. They are rare, but it does happen. They are tiny worms that can use you as their "host". If they lodge in the wrong part of your body like the brain you are in some serious trouble.

I worked for years as a manager of a 4 star hotel. We had a great guest that everyone loved to have stay with us. One day while coming off the elevator in the lobby he colapsed onto the floor and was unconsious. They later removed a worm about 3 inches long from his skull. That worm can ONLY some from one thing...raw fish. Thankfully, he recovered fully.
 
Joe, Seared tuna should be made with sashimi grade only. If you order it at a restaurant and suspect the grade is wrong when you receive it, send it back.
David is correct. Though bacteria can be introduced after the fact by improper handling, barring that, it is not usually an issue with seafood. (The exceptions here: a bacterium specific to some raw oysters, a virus specific to some raw clams and oysters, and a toxin specific to some reef fish in some tropical waters.) Parisitic illnesses, though rare as David mentioned, can certainly be a concern with raw or undercooked fish. Freezing the fish (there are a few different temps and a few different time lengths possible) is recommended for destroying parisites, however this is not considered necessary if the tuna is Yellowfin, Big Eye, Bluefin, Blackfin, or Albacore. They may be consumed raw or partially cooked. Know your seller, get sashimi grade regardless, and handle it properly.
 
i was raised on raw fish and crab an a lot of other raw stuff.. maybe its the poi we eat maybe thats way i haven't had some of the stuff you are talking about.. Kevin is right any of the tunas are okay to eat raw and if you are going to cook it will be okay.. to me as long as it is the freshes you can get ..why spend money on sashimi grade if you are going cook it any way..i know when we get ahi here it is almost all way eaten raw its just to good of a fish to cook.. do stay away from uncooked reef fish..
 
Joe
I've been making sushi and feeding it to willing guests for years. I've always use grade A tuna and if I can I like to watch them take it straight from the fish. NEVER use pre-packaged tuna or supermarket tuna, you have no idea where it has been. To be honest, I've never heard of skull worms, but I am aware that liver flukes and cysts can be a problem. Fortunately if you use nice fresh, ruby red tuna any of these nasty critters show up as a little white or yellowy/grey speck, and is quite easy to spot, and grade A or sashimi tuna is spot checked by someone who knows what they're doing.

morgan
 
Smokey Joe,

Why take any chances? I use only sashimi grade also.

As for searing it, I have found that if I use my large wok, I can sear tuna very well without splattering as much grease. The higher walls of the wok contain more of the splattter.

I have two 14 inch woks and use them a lot.

Ray
 
I did seared tuna last Saturday night over a chimney following Alton's recipe and it was amazing! I had a hell of a time finding sashimi grade tuna. I actually called one seafood shop and they didn't know what sashimi grade was, I won't be buying anything from them anymore.

Mike
 
Since proper freshness, color, texture, presence of disease, and fat content are the keys to top-graded tuna (among several other things), I'd go for the best grade for raw or seared; imo, it makes a difference. For grilling or cooking in some other way it is not such an issue, as Curt says. The best thing you can do is to know your seller and buy from a place that sells a LOT of fresh fish.
 
I once contracted the parasite mentioned from eating raw oysters. These lodged in my intenstinal tract, and it took five days for it to pass. Boy was I sick. I called my family and told them I was going to die.

I still eat raw fish and shellfish, and haven't had any problems, but beware. It is possible to contract the parasite with more detrimental outcomes than I suffered.
 
I was at a high dollar steak house last night and had the sashimi tuna for a starter...IT was GREAT!!

I want to get some for myself...I have a fish store that would carry it (I think) but what is the best way to sear it on the outside..like how long?
 
Greg,

I do not know how your tuna was seasoned (the one you had in the restaurant). I personally like a bit of flavor, so usually marinate the tuna in a really good ginger dressing / marinade for about an hour, then I rinse it off and pat it dry. I then sprinkle with a lot of freshly ground pepper, and cook in a hot (very hot) wok with only a small bit of olive oil. It sears quickly and I then cook it until the tuna is done for our taste (medium rare).

Hope this helps,

Ray
 
Greg-

I use a cast iron pan which I place on high heat, empty for at least 7 min. Meanwhile I oil the tuna lightly and apply a rub. When the pan is hot I pour in a couple tsps of oil, wait a moment, then sear the tuna--about 15-20 secs/side. You can go longer--up to a minute/side if you'd prefer med-rare-medium.

I rub everything, though it's not required. For tuna I like a combo of finely grated lime zest with dry thyme, salt and white pepper and a pinch of sugar served with a tangerine/3-ginger relish (large diced tangerine sections tossed with minced sweet onion, lime juice, grated fresh ginger, minced pickled ginger, and minced candied ginger--with a little salt and light sesame oil or a rub of New Mexico chili powder, dry thyme, ground coriander and salt served a grapefruit/orange relish (large diced grapefruit and orange sections tossed with a fine dice of red onion, a little lime juice, e..v. olive oil, minced cilantro, salt, and a pinch of sugar.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I want to get some for myself...I have a fish store that would carry it (I think) but what is the best way to sear it on the outside..like how long? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Greg,

This is how I did it Alton Seared tuna but I left out honey and the wasabi and added some terriaki to the marinade. It was amazing. I served it with wasabi and pickled ginger. I think I'll have more this weekend.

Mike
 
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