Introduction
Hey! To all the sushi lovers out there, are you a big fan of tuna? Have you ever:
tasted other parts of tuna besides tuna belly?
thought of having varieties of flavors in a single tuna fish?
If your answers are no, you’re at the right place today! In this post, I will introduce five rare parts of tuna, including Noten, Hohoniku, Kamatoro, Tenmi, and Tuna's Heart. If you are interested in knowing the texture, the fattiness, and the suggested eating methods, be sure to read 'til the end!
Why choose Bluefin Tuna?
There are many types of tuna in the world but usually only five types of tuna will be used for sushi:
Pacific Bluefin Tuna
Southern Bluefin Tuna
Bigeye Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna
Albacore Tuna
Today we are going to dive into Pacific Bluefin Tuna (クロマグロ kuro-maguro). Pacific Bluefin Tuna is regarded as the king of tuna in making sushi because of not only its rareness but also the perfect sweetness and fattiness of the taste. In Japanese culture, not a single part of tuna from head to tail will be wasted, so it is not uncommon to see Japanese meals containing rare body parts of tuna. Of course, the price range of each body part of the tuna varies depending on the quality and rareness. Let’s begin from the tuna head.
What is Noten?
Normally you will come across tuna belly when ordering in a Japanese restaurant, but have you ever heard of Noten (のうてん)? Noten is the part above the tuna’s head, which is light pink in color. It is considered as the rarest, fattiest tuna cuts because it only consists of 0.4% - 0.5% of each tuna (around two pieces). From my past working experience, I have encountered many customers complaining in a restaurant that they were served with Noten which contains many tendons. In fact, Noten indeed contains many tendons because of its muscle. I would suggest Otoro or Chutoro for those who doesn’t like stringy and chewy texture.
How to eat Noten?
Normally, in some high-end Japanese restaurants, Noten is prepared as sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish) and is cut in a grid pattern to achieve perfect taste and texture in your mouth. Trust me, this is the best way to enjoy the freshness and the original taste of Noten:)
What is Hohoniku?
Hohoniku (ほほ肉) is the cheek meat of tuna. It is also extremely rare because every maguro only has one or two pieces hohoniku. Like Noten, they are rarely seen in supermarkets, but are often sold online or at fish stores (you’ll need connections from fish store owners to buy). Since the cheek part of a tuna moves a lot, it has more tendons and chewy texture as well. However, it tastes very rich and delicious with its umami similar to beef.
How to eat Hohoniku?
I would recommend roasting it! Simply sprinkle some salt on top of the hohoniku and roast the surface with chef torch until the meat is brown. Ginger soy sauce is the perfect match for hohoniku!
What is Kamatoro?
Kama (カマ) is the gill meat, which is taken from behind the jaw. Again, there are only two pieces inside a maguro. Particularly, the fatty part of Kama is called Kamatoro (カマトロ). The fattiness of Kamatoro is very rich and marbled (looks like beef). That’s why Kamatoro is also known as Shimofuri (霜降り), which translates as "frosting" in Japanese to describe its perfectly marbled fattiness. It is also crowned as the highest quality tuna part. Since there are no veins in Kamatoro, it is so soft that it literally melts into your mouth.
What is the suggested cooking method for Kama?
Besides making Kamatoro as nigiri’s topping, the second most popular cooking method is grilling the whole Kama (because most of the Japanese households have a fish grill stored inside their kitchen). By grilling it, you can taste the greasy, yet soft and delicious Kamatoro! You can season it by adding salt and pepper to bring out the flavor but remember don’t overdo it! :)
What is Tenmi?
I believe sushi enthusiasts are already familiar with Akami (赤み), Chutoro (中トロ), and Otoro (大トロ). They can be simply described as lean (Akami), medium fatty (Chutoro), and fatty (Otoro) respectively, and there’re tons of articles out there about these tuna parts. Since you’re here with me now, I would like to introduce something special! Tenmi (天身) (also called Tenpa) belongs to part of Akami, and is the leaner meat of tuna surrounding the spine. It tastes stronger and looks deeper in color when comparing to normal Akami. Tendons are rarely be found in Tenmi.
How to eat Tenmi?
Apart from making it as sushi, the second most popular way of using Tenmi is Tekkadon (a bowl of rice with sashimi as toppings). The rich fish flavor, together with soy sauce, seaweed, wasabi, and shiitake mushrooms are the irresistible combination. Be sure to give it a try when you find Tenmi Tekkadon in some Japanese restaurants. I promise it will surprise you :)
What is Tuna’s Heart?
For the last part, I would like to introduce Maguro’s Heart (ポンプ). From my past working experience, I was lucky enough to try Maguro’s Heart and I know they are extremely rare. You can only get it by connections on a business level. It is a tiny pump located at the top of tuna’s heart.
How to eat Tuna's Heart?
The texture is very chewy, and it tastes better when you deep fry it because it will bring out the greasy flavor. Grab yourself a bottle of beer, I promise this is a great combo with deep fried maguro’s heart!
What’s your thoughts?
I have concluded some of the most valuable parts on Maguro nowadays. Next time when you go to a fancy Japanese restaurant, go try something else besides Otoro or Chutoro. Step out of your comfort zone and try something that surprises you! I hope I can bring you a different perspective on tuna at the end of the day. Feel free leave your thoughts in the comment section below. I am more than happy to connect other sushi lovers :)
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