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What is the allure tuna?
The tetas - in English "little tunny", "false albacore", "little tuna" - is a saltwater bony fish belonging to the Scombridae family, Genus Euthynnus and species alletteratus .
As part of the products of sea fishing, the tuna may also appear in the whole of the blue fish, which in turn falls into the category of poor fish.
The tuna skins belongs to the first fundamental food group, as it is a nutritional source of high biological value proteins, vitamins (especially vit D and many of the B group) and specific minerals (for example phosphorus, iron and iodine). It has a medium energy supply that is difficult to establish, especially in adult specimens. It is also very rich in semi-essential omega 3 lipids of the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) type; nevertheless, it also shows significant cholesterol levels.
Allettoated tuna is, on the whole, very nutritious and lends itself to most diets. On the other hand, it may also have contraindications; in the next paragraphs we will better understand which ones.
The tetanelard is widespread along all the European coasts. It is found both in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea; it is quite common in all Italian seas. Warning! Some maintain that the tetas do not occupy the body of water of the Adriatic Sea; it is inaccuracy. Instead it is an extremely widespread species, as both professional fishermen and lovers of bluefin tuna sport fishing can testify.
The tetanus tuna, like most of the members of the Scombridae family, has a pelagic attitude. It occupies, in a different way depending on the season and the geographical area, the coastal coastline as much as the open waters. At the larval stage it is a constituent of plankton and more precisely of zooplankton.
Compared to the tuna properly called (red, obese, yellow fins, white etc.), the alletterate remains smaller in size: 100 cm in length and about 15 kg. It has the shape similar to that of a tuna, a spotting on the back - similar to the bonito - between the dorsal and caudal fins, and a silvery white belly.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of the allotato tuna
The tetanus tuna is a fishery product that falls within the 1st fundamental group of foods. Considered not too valuable from a gastronomic point of view - this is why we included it in poor fish - it is nevertheless very nutritious and has all the characteristics of blue fish.
The tetanus has a "theoretically" low average caloric intake. The nutritional tables - which do not take into consideration the alletterate, but a very similar creature that is the skipjack tuna - suggest an approximate value of 100-105 kcal / 100 g. However, we must point out that the belly - called ventresca - as it happens for terrestrial creatures, is considerably fatter than the back - portion of the fillets. It is however difficult to believe that this fish provides so few calories, especially in adulthood; it is therefore recommended to take into consideration a possible average value up to 150 kcal. The tuna is therefore more caloric than anchovies but less so than mackerel. It can be considered an analogue of sardines, bonito and tombarello.
The energy of the alletate tuna is provided mainly by proteins, followed by lipids; carbohydrates are absent or irrelevant. Does not contain dietary fiber. Fatty acids are largely unsaturated and a very high quantity of semi-essential chains of the omega 3 group is appreciated; in particular: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The proteins have a high biological value and therefore contain all the essential amino acids, in the right proportions and quantities, of human proteins.
The tetanus should be rich in water-soluble B vitamins, such as niacin (vit PP), pyridoxine (vit B6) and cobalamin (vit B12). Regarding the fat-soluble vitamins, this fish contains excellent levels of vit D (calciferol). Even the mineral profile is appreciable; Potassium, phosphorus, iron and iodine levels are significant.
Cholesterol is not negligible, but neither is it excessive. Lactose and gluten are absent. Purines are abundant; histamine is absent in the fresh product but increases exponentially if poorly preserved.
Tetas and pollution
Like all fishery products, especially those of a considerable size, even the skinned tuna is subject to pollution by accumulation in the tissues. Traces of mercury, lead, dioxins and the like may be present, which tend to pile up mainly in compartments rich in fat - belly and nerve tissue.
Specimens of alletated tuna caught in more temperate waters was responsible for ciguatera, a form of intoxication or poisoning caused by the toxin produced by some dinoflagellates such as Gambierdiscus toxicus .
It would therefore be advisable to prefer medium-sized tamed skins - not small, due to ethical issues. Furthermore, for those particularly sensitive, delicate or in particular conditions, a lean cut should be served - fillet - avoiding the belly. The latter then, which must not be wasted, requires slow cooking, cured and allows to drain as much fat as possible.
Diet
Tetal lobster in the diet
Like all blue fish (mackerel, herring, lanzardo, needlefish, alaccia etc), even the tuna is rich in aromatic components that tend to persist during digestive eructations. This symptom has nothing to do with digestibility, which is all in all average.
However, large portions of any high-protein food are contraindicated in the diet of individuals suffering from digestive complications such as dyspepsia, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric or duodenal ulcer, hypochloridria, etc.
Tuna is a food that is suitable for most diets. It is suitable for the hypocaloric slimming diet, as long as you keep in mind that the belly is absolutely not a lean cut. In this case, to guarantee the overall nutritional balance, it may be reasonable to reduce the amount of seasoning oil in the meal or during the day.
The abundance of high biological value proteins makes the tuna alletato ideal in the nutritional regime of the debased subjects, with impaired intestinal absorption, of old age or in any condition of generic or specific malnutrition; for the same reason, it is also suitable for people with an increased need for essential amino acids - for example, pregnant women, especially with an unbalanced diet. Some suggest it, like the other sources of proteins with high biological value, in the case of physical motor activity with high volume and / or intensity, above all in the disciplines of strength or with a very important muscular hypertrophied component.
EPA and DHA are semi essential but biologically very active and very important omega 3 fatty acids for the constitution of cellular membranes, for the growth of the fetus and children - above all nervous system and eyes - they counteract some metabolic pathologies - dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus etc. - maintain cognitive function in old age, prevent some forms of neurosis - depressive symptoms - etc. However, the cholesterol content imposes reasonable portions and consumption frequencies.
Due to the absence of gluten and lactose, the tuna skins are pertinent in the diet for celiac disease and for intolerance to milk sugar. The abundance of purines makes it undesirable in the nutritional regime for hyperuricemia and gout. As far as histamine intolerance is concerned, it is granted as long as it is very fresh or perfectly preserved.
The B vitamins have a mainly coenzymatic function; being rich, the tuna is therefore an excellent food to support various types of cellular functions. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is crucial for bone metabolism, for the functioning of the immune system and beyond.
The good iron content contributes to the achievement of the daily requirement and can be considered useful in the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia - frequent in fertile, pregnant women, marathon runners etc. The human body has a very high phosphorus requirement; it is nevertheless necessary to specify that it is a widespread macro nutrient and almost never lacking in nutrition. In the body it is mainly the mineral of the skeleton (hydroxyapatite) and the phospholipids, necessary for the constitution of the cellular membranes and of the central and peripheral nervous tissue. The potassium, alkalizing mineral and indispensable above all for the neuromuscular conduction, is instead often the object of nutritional deficiency, to which the annoying muscle cramps are attributable. All those who expel more potassium than normal are affected by this deficiency. This is the case of sportsmen and those who remain exposed for too long to excessively hot-humid temperatures. Note : even those on diuretic drug therapy - for example hypertensive - tend to suffer from a lack of potassium. Finally, iodine is a micro nutrient essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, an endocrine organ responsible for regulating cell metabolism after the secretion of hormones T3 and T4.
Cooked, the allured tuna is also allowed in the diet during pregnancy; raw instead, it is to be avoided for reasons of food safety - risk of food diseases such as: parasitosis, amoebiasis, bacterial food toxinfections, viral infections, etc. Of course, once the temperature has been reduced, the risk of Anisakis can be averted, but the microbiological danger remains - especially that of cross-contamination, given that fish in the strict sense is rarely the vehicle of pathogenic bacteria or viruses.
The average portion of allettoated tuna - as a dish - is 100-150 g (about 100-230 kcal).
storage
Advice on purchasing the tuna skins
A fresh tuna has the following characteristics:
- Rigor mortis: it is hard and rigid, in sometimes unnatural positions - for example bent on itself and with the mouth open. A soft fish is to be considered safe only if just caught - the time of appearance of rigor mortis varies mainly on the basis of temperature. This last eventuality is to be considered very rare, unless you personally witness the capture - the tetas that stay entangled in the nets or end up in the line by mail acquire the rigor mortis when they are still at sea and logically lose it first.
- Bright skin and eyes: the shine indicates hydration and presence of fresh mucus. The mucus of the skin, especially if the tetas is kept in ice or ice water, indicates the good condition of the animal.
- Red and clean gills: myoglobin and hemoglobin in the gills oxidize rather quickly. If these become brown and become covered with a foul-smelling slimy layer, the fish is poorly preserved.
- Consistency of elastic, turgid, trophic and compact muscle and eye tissue: dryness, dulling and eye sagging indicate that the fish is not fresh. The same can be said if the meat is pressed, this sinks leaving the imprint.
- Smell of fresh fish, not of ammonia or in any case rotten: the smell of fresh fish, which is not pleasant at all, is however very different from that of poorly preserved fish. This unpleasantness may also not arise due to bacterial contamination. For example, if you take a decapitated, skinned and carefully eviscerated tuna - leaving the peritoneum intact - rinsed and kept in the crushed salt water ice, the microorganisms will hardly replicate significantly. Nevertheless, after a few days the fish will still start to smell. The fabrics of fishery products are not like those of land creatures - for example, beef. The meat is rich in proteolytic enzymes and the proteins are rich in nitrogen and sulfur compounds. This means that, while various types of meat can - indeed, must - be hanged - an operation that consists of a sort of mummification necessary to optimize the organoleptic and gustatory characteristics - fishing products can only get worse.
To increase the conservation of the product, as an alternative to freezing, it becomes necessary to cook it. On the contrary, it is inadvisable to keep it in the refrigerator for a long time, whether fresh or defrosted.
Remember also that omega 3 fatty acids are quite delicate and sensitive to oxidation - from oxygen and free radicals - to the action of light and heat, and tend to degrade quickly. Also for this reason, a poorly preserved allure of tuna, besides being very bad in terms of quality, is also poor from a nutritional point of view.
The abatement of temperature or the freezing of the tetas are also essential for those who intend to eat it raw. Going beyond the freezing point - for as long as necessary - allows you to annihilate any Anisakis - parasites that can also infest humans, creating serious complications such as intestinal perforation. In all cases, it is advisable to prefer allelated skip to eviscerated immediately after capture and to reduce the temperature on board the boat. The quality of these frozen fish, like most blue fish, is poor - especially if they are cooked - but the safety level is very high.
Kitchen
How do you cook the alluring tuna?
Since the tetas - like tuna, the funky and the bonito - is a fish very rich in blood, it would be a good rule to drain it as soon as it is caught. This procedure, if well executed, speeds up the death of the animal which, in addition to improving organoleptic and gustatory points of view, suffers much less. The procedure is applied by cutting the flesh behind the pectoral fins, then cutting off the larger blood vessels. Obviously, this is a process that cannot be carried out in fish that are caught in nets.
The tuna can be eaten either raw or cooked. Raw, like carpaccio - also smoked - tartare or sushi - after lowering the temperature. Cotto, on the other hand, is an excellent ingredient for fish soups, for pasta dishes and as a dish to be cooked mainly roasted, on a plate or in a pan; it is advisable not to exceed with the times or with the intensity of the heat, the risk is that the meat becomes hard, dry and stringy. It is not among the most suitable fish to consume boiled. The diced meat can enrich a mixed fry.
Some recipes are: sliced allettoated skipjack (fillet) grilled / grilled, smoked and cooked tuna belly at low temperature, enticed in vasocottura with pendolini tomatoes, garlic and chilli, allated subtended tuna, baked / grilled, half sleeves with alletterato, capers and sun-dried tomatoes, sea soup etc.
The spices most used in the combination with the tuna are: thyme, marjoram, oregano, fennel, basil, chilli, white pepper. Ingredients such as: lemon peel, green and black olives, capers, etc. are also widely used.
Description
How is the tetas made?
The alletat tuna is very similar to the skipjack tuna, from which it differs in color. It is rather squat, especially in adulthood. It has a dark blue color on the back, with the typical maculation between the dorsal and caudal fins - similar to the tombarello - while it is white on the belly and on the sides. Among the distinctive features of the tetas are the large black dots positioned behind the pectoral fins. The fins are all of considerable size; the dorsal ones are contiguous. The mouth is large and equipped with a single row of teeth, on the jaw and jaws. The eye is smaller than the small species of Scombridae. It reaches a meter in length and weighs an average of 15 kg.
Biology
Biology of the tuna skins
Feeding of the tetas
The tuna is a predator and hunts mainly other fish - anchovies, sardines, alacce, horse mackerel, mackerel, garfish etc. - and pelagic cephalopod molluscs - squid, squid and cuttlefish.
Predators of the tetas tuna
Aside from man, the allured tuna is undermined only at a young age. Among the natural predators of this period we remember the marine mammals, some birds and above all the fish like: tuna, amberjack, shark (for example greenish), bonito etc.
Reproduction and habits of the tuna alletato
The tetanus has a gregarious and pelagic attitude. It is present in a significant way throughout the Mediterranean Basin and in the Western Atlantic Ocean - from Brazil to New England; less in the Oriental one.
It reproduces in the spring-summer season, when it approaches the coast; after the hatching of the eggs, the larvae take on a pelagic attitude and become part, initially, of the zooplankton.
Fishing
Tuna tuna fishing
The allated tuna is the subject of professional and amateur fishing. Being a fish not very valuable, it is scarcely persecuted by the professional withdrawal. It is however good to remember that it is one of the species most used for commercial fraud on tuna properly so called. The fishing system most used is that of the encircling nets, but it can also become entangled in other traps.
On an amateur level, in fishing with reeds, the tuna is less sought after than the largest tuna; It is however considered a very amusing prey, since the via ferrata can take up to 65 km / h. In underwater fishing, it is a rare and completely casual prey. The tuna-skinned tuna fishing with reeds is mainly trolling, spinning and drifting - natural or fake baits.
