# Fresh Verses Frozen Tuna Steaks



## Brendon Alexander (Apr 17, 2004)

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what taste and nutritional benefits Fresh Tuna Steaks have over Frozen Tuna Steaks bought from the supermarket?

Cheers,

Brendon.


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## ironchef (Apr 17, 2004)

as far as nutritional value, I have no idea. as far as taste, frozen tuna tastes like crap compared to fresh tuna. try buying both, and then eating them raw, or seared rare, and you'll be able to tell the difference


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Apr 18, 2004)

Raw? They have to be sushi-grade to do that. Nothing like food poisoning... I should know.  :x


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## ironchef (Apr 19, 2004)

no you can use frozen ahi for sushi or sashimi, as long as you handle it and store it properly once it is defrosted. most lower end sushi places use that instead of fresh tuna, stictly because of the cost. that is the only way they can sell maguro nigiri sushi for less that $2.00


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## -DEADLY SUSHI- (Apr 19, 2004)

Oh!    Wow, that IS cheap!! I wish a place around here had $2 rolls.  :?  I would be there a lot!


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## btone88 (Apr 29, 2004)

Although taste is more dependant on the quality of the tuna rather than rresh vs. frozen, fresh is generally going to be much tastier. There is one *near* exception - I love to make tuna tartare at home but due to the dismal quality of the 'fresh' tuna at my local supermarkets I was rarely able to...until I discovered that they sometimes carry ahi tuna that, from what I understand, is vacuum sealed and flash frozen shortly after being caught. I have to ask for it at the seafood counter since for some reason they tend not to display it. Once defrosted, I can always count on it to be of a high enough quality to eat it raw or rare and although not as flavorful as sushi grade tuna that can be found at gourmet markets it's very very satisfying.


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## BubbaGourmet (Apr 29, 2004)

I will agree that fresh tuna is hard to beat BUT unless you live within 50 miles of the ocean...well...you just ain't gonna get any! Example: WQe have a tuna run off our coast every year. Bluefins and yellowfins. The absolute BEST that are brought to the dock are spoken for and immediately whisked off to Japan...at exorbitant prices. So don't turn your nose uip at flash frozen "Sashimi grade tuna". While it is only about 95% as good as fresh (I have tried both) the good news is that _it is 95% as good as fresh!_


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## Jermosh (Jul 11, 2004)

99% of all large fishs are already frozen on the boat already. If you find a tuna or swordfish at a fish counter in a supermarket, I am almost 100% sure it was frozen then thawed, might even have been twice. I would rather just get them frozen and thaw myslef useing a better technique then a supermarket fish "monger" would. Almost all Sushi grade fish is frozen as well.

This goes for shrimp as well, unless you are at a dock. Most shrimp are frozen at sea in 5lb blocks. If you buy them in frozen blocks in shell that you are going to get a good chance on freshness. Its when you buy the precooked, cleaned, IQFed shrimp that you are going to run the chance of over handled and thawed and refrozen product.


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## ironchef (Jul 11, 2004)

Not so. We get fresh tuna right at the fisherman's auction that are fresh. The only thing is, you need to be there at 4am. For boats that stay at sea for extended periods of time, they do flash freeze the fish, but because fresh raw fish is such at a premium in Hawaii (lots of Japanese buyers) and on the West Coast, and because there is so many knowledgable buyers, we do get the fish very, very fresh.

The best place to buy your shrimp is live from a shrimp farm. You don't have to worry about them even touching a freezer, and you can beat the taste and texture of fresh shrimp.


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## Jermosh (Jul 12, 2004)

ironchef said:
			
		

> Not so. We get fresh tuna right at the fisherman's auction that are fresh. The only thing is, you need to be there at 4am. For boats that stay at sea for extended periods of time, they do flash freeze the fish, but because fresh raw fish is such at a premium in Hawaii (lots of Japanese buyers) and on the West Coast, and because there is so many knowledgable buyers, we do get the fish very, very fresh.
> 
> The best place to buy your shrimp is live from a shrimp farm. You don't have to worry about them even touching a freezer, and you can beat the taste and texture of fresh shrimp.



Yes but the key is if you are buying from a supermarket, there is little to chance that a big fish is fresh. Also I would argue that even fresh fish on the docks was infact held at the frozen range of 28-36f till it got to auction.

Shrimp farms are great, but most could not get to one easily. There is a differance in fresh or frozen Shrimp, but unless you live on a warm coast, your best bet is to seek those 5lb blocks for taste.


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## GB (Jul 15, 2004)

There was an article in The New York Times (Sushi Fresh From the Deep . . . the Deep Freeze By JULIA MOSKIN (NYT) words 
Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 1 , Column 3) from April 8th that talked about how almost all fish is flash frozen while the boat is still out at sea. Unfortunately I do not still have access to the article, but it was fascinating. 

One part of the article talked about the fact that most people would be surprised that it is illegal to serve sushi in the US if it has not been previously frozen.

"Food and Drug Administration regulations stipulate that fish to be eaten raw — whether as sushi, sashimi, seviche, or tartare — must be frozen first, to kill parasites. "I would desperately hope that all the sushi we eat is frozen," said George Hoskin, a director of the agency's Office of Seafood. Tuna, a deep-sea fish with exceptionally clean flesh, is the only exception to the rule."


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## GB (Jul 15, 2004)

I also read that Morimoto has a special freezer in which he keeps his fish. The freezer gets down to -60 degrees Fahrenheit.


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## AllenOK (Aug 25, 2004)

I've never been lucky enough to find "Fresh", never-been-frozen tuna in a grocery store.  I've lived in two land-locked states (at least, no easy access to salt water) all my adult life.  So, I've only had the kind that is previously frozen.

The country club I work at closes for the month of Febuary, for deep-cleaning, maintenance/remodel, and mostly due to a lack of business.  At the end of January this year, the Chef gave everyone some of the perisables, as these were the things that we couldn't save by freezing.  We had a few thawed Tuna steaks, and I was lucky enough to get one.  Those Tuna Steaks come in cryo-vac'ed, frozen.

Well, at the time, my other half was pregant with our daughter.  She had informed me that the smell of tuna nauseates her, and that if we made tuna salad, to forewarn her so she could leave the apartment.  Shortly after the start of Febuary, I thawed that Tuna steak out and blackened it (flame me, I don't care, I love it blackened!) to med-rare/medium.  I plated it and sat down at the table to eat my lunch.  She was on the pc.  She looked at me, looked at my plate, and started whimpering like a little puppy.  I asked her what she wanted.  Of course, she wanted a bite.  I then asked her why she wasn't making a beeline for the bathroom.  She told me that oddly enough, the smell of it didn't make her sick to her stomach.  I guess the seasonings over-powered the tuna smell.  I warned that this steak was cooked medium, and to be prepared for "pink" tuna.  She nodded and took a bite.  Well, when it was done, she ate half of it.

She has since asked me "When are you going to bring home some more tuna?"  Luckily, I can buy it "at cost" from my boss


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## Leila (Aug 27, 2004)

*POKE*

Raw tuna at its best...delicacy in Hawaii

Leila

Blue Ridge Telecom


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## Xbones (Sep 6, 2004)

Fresh Tuna is the BEST - we just got back from Hatteras,NC where fresh tuna is so available. I'm paying 7.95 a lb. there and here in Va. it's 16.95. It's crazy the difference. I love my tuna marinated in soy and small amount of oil oil for about 45min. Then seared on each side - yummy - 
Stephanie


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## Claire (Sep 13, 2004)

I'll chime in with others.  It vastly depends on where you live.  Be realistic, IS IT FRESH?  Thawed doesn't mean fresh.  Fresh doesn't mean more than two days old.  If what you're buying is called fresh, and you live in the midwest, guess who's being taken to the cleaners?  I try to buy any fish and shellfish live or frozen.  I live 3 hours from CHicago, so guess how fresh anything called 'fresh' is if it comes from one of the oceans?  It would have had to be flown into O'Hare, then trucked to me.  NOT FRESH.  If you live somewhere like me, go for frozen.  In my case I pass on tuna.  After years in Hawaii, frozen just doesn't measure up.  I'll have it when I got a major city where there's at least a chance it was flown in.  On the other hand, the scallops most stores sell thawed, my grocer will sell frozen (the way they get them) as well, and they are great.  Just be realistic.


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