How to slice seared tuna?

By TheWholePortion
Page last updated: 03/09/2021 | Next review date: 03/09/2023
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In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “How to slice seared tuna?”, discuss answers to other related questions like what are the risks associated with the consumption of tuna, and how can you tell if tuna has gone bad.

How to slice seared tuna?

To slice seared tuna, tent the seared tuna with foil and let it rest for atleast 10 minutes before slicing. Check the tuna and locate the direction of the grain for tender slices that are easy to chew. Slice the tuna steak across the grain. The muscle fibers in the tuna steak run in a certain pattern and direction. For tender slices of meat, you must cut across the grain to shorten the fibers, and for some cuts of meat, the direction changes. So you have to change the direction you slice. Make 7 to 8 slices that are about ¼ inches thick. If the grain direction changes, turn the steak to make sure that you are still slicing across the grain.

What are the risks associated with the consumption of tuna?

Tuna, served as a raw fish, poses health risks for persons with a weak immune system. As it is raw, it harbors various parasites and bacteria such as liver flukes, tapeworms, Salmonella, Listeria, Vibrio, and Bacillus cereus. Therefore, consuming raw tuna can lead you to be a victim of parasitic as well as bacterial infections with acute symptoms. Even more, if worms of the parasites don’t get coughed up or vomited out, they can burrow into the walls of your intestines and cause a localized immune response.

The bacterial infection associated with the consumption of tuna is related to food poisoning with general symptoms of fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. These symptoms can vary in their severity based on the type of bacteria causing the infection.

How to safely eat tuna?

Freezing and cooking procedures can eliminate the parasites and risk of foodborne illnesses that result from eating tuna. The FDA recommends freezing tuna according to the following guidelines for the safe consumption of tuna:

  • Freeze at -4℉/ -20℃ or below for 7 days
  • Freeze at -31℉/ -35℃ or below until solid and keeping at -31℉/ -35℃ or below for 15 hours
  • Freeze at -31℉/ -35℃ or below until solid and keeping at -4℉/ -20℃ or below for 24 hours

Frozen tuna should be thawed in the refrigerator overnight. Defrosting on the counter increases the risk of contamination and foodborne illnesses.

Other FAQs about Tuna which you may be interested in.

How long does tuna last out of the fridge?

How to drain canned tuna?

Can you eat ahi tuna raw? 

How to store tuna in the best way?

Just because of the shorter life span of raw fish, it does not mean that you can not store raw tuna. You can store it for 2 to 3 days by refrigerating it in an air-tight box or a zipper bag. Make sure to refrigerate tuna all the time before it is cooked, and any leftovers must be returned to the fridge as soon as possible after cooking.

Keeping tuna at room temperature is not a good idea at all. The quality of raw fish is completely deteriorated because of the ability of the bacteria to grow avidly on raw fish at room temperature. So, it is better to toss of tuna that you somehow left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

To keep tuna fish in the fridge, you need to wrap it up in a good manner to avoid the contact of direct air. Also, you can place the wrapped tuna in an air-tight container or a zipper bag if you are more concerned with food safety.

Above all, freezing the tuna is the best option to store tuna. Freezing can help you keep tuna fresh for hours to 7 days. 

How can you tell if tuna has gone bad?

As several risks are associated with the consumption of raw fishes, it is very important to know the quality of tuna before eating it, because eating bad seared tuna can be worse than eating raw fish. If you want to examine the quality of tuna, some telltale signs might help you do this more professionally and more confidently.

The first telltale sign is the firmness of fish. After gently pressing your finger on a piece of fish, the flesh should spring back immediately. If it does not, or if the fish feels mushy to the touch, it is not fresh and should not be eaten.

Secondly, the color of fish can be helpful to you to judge the quality of fish. It is a visual clue that can be used to determine if the fish on your plate has likely been sitting in a cooler longer than it ought to have been.

Conclusion:

In this brief guide, we answered the question “How to slice seared tuna?”, discussed answers to other related questions like what are the risks associated with the consumption of tuna, and how can you tell if tuna has gone bad.

References:

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