I've heard all manor of descriptions of what little tunny taste like, and very little of it good. Something I've learned throughout the years, though, is that most fish are very palatable and usually better than that. Being adept at handling the fish after you've harvested it, cleaning it properly, and cooking it appropriately make all the difference. Of course there are some fish that some people just won't like- everyone has different tastes. I used to be incredibly picky about fish. Now I think it's all about how they're done, though. I've eaten quite a few fish species that I've seen anglers turn their noses up to- walking catfish and sea robin to name two of the oddest. The only fish that was genuinely unappealing was chub mackerel, and that's just because we didn't get it on ice fast enough. So, naturally, it was only a matter of time before I brought home an albie.
The opportunity arose the morning of a gnarly storm that brought heavy rain and wind to southern CT. It was absolutely pouring just minutes after I arrived and there was very little sign of activity, but I wasn't there to sit in the dry car and wish I were home. I cast, and I cast some more. Then suddenly one of my retrieves was stopped by the abrupt take of the fastest fish a fly angler can tie into with their feet on the New England shoreline. And here I was, ready to fight it with a cheap Bass Pro Shops brand fly rod. The 9wt Heat did the job admirably, and soon I had a beautiful and hopefully delicious fish at hand. I'll say it one more time: expensive gear isn't pivotal to success. I'm having a lot of fun with that silly rod.
That was my only fish of the day, but that's all I really needed. I quickly bled it and left it out- no need to get it on ice, it was being pelted by cold rain. After being drenched to the bone and beaten up I went home with my little tunny in a bag in the trunk. I filleted it like one would any small tuna, and trimmed off the darkest bits of meat. That left rather a lot, about four meals worth if paired with another dish.
There are quite a few ways to prepare little tunny. If you're already used to cleaning and cooking tuna, I recommend treating a little tunny the way you like to prepare a bluefin, yellowfin, or blackfin tuna. Expect it to have a little less shelf-life than those species, but the same cooking or sushi preparation techniques are applicable. It'll also allow you to compare the quality of the meat to the fish you're already familiar with.
I cook mine essentially the same way I cook myself a burger. I put a splash of olive oil in a pan, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the piece of meat, and cook it until it's just a bit pink in the middle.
The texture and flavor is great. I loved it, and my partner really enjoyed it as well when she tried it. As long as you treat it right and eat it soon after it's caught, there's no reason not to eat an albie if you want to. And, frankly, lots and lots of dead ones are being thrown back in the water. Being an extremely fine-tuned, warm-blooded fish, little tunny have a very short shelf life when removed from the water. A lot of released ones die, that is very clear. I reckon the number could be as high as 45 to 50%. Grip n' grins are probably very close to a death sentence for these fish.
I know I've thrown back tunny that didn't survive, and though I don't subscribe to the idea that a fish that died after release has been completely wasted (nothing organic goes to waste in the ocean), I don't think it's a good look to be killing large numbers of a species for the sake of of sport and believing you're doing right by the species. Little tunny are one of the most abundant predator fish species in the Atlantic Ocean, if they're going to be killed by even fairly careful catch and release methods, we may as well eat them. Since they aren't, in fact, horribly disgusting as many people make them out to be, I'll likely be keeping every one I decide to photograph from now on, knowing full well there are some fly caster that will dislike me for doing so. That's a lot better than such a magnificent animal being eaten by invasive green crabs.
Until next time,
What fun...you skim along, interweaving one topic to the next, but holding the reader's interest with a practiced hand. It's great to see your storytelling, instructional and fishing technique blending so seamlessly. You cooked up a tasty dish and made me glad of the fresh salmon in the fridge. Thanks for the inspiration!
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