Thon (fish) : The tunas are saltwater fish and ocean of the Scombridae family: bluefin tuna, white tuna – or albacore –, thon yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and tuna skipjack tuna. These last three are tunas tropical.
The name of " thon » is given to several of these great fish, neighbors in appearance and shape. It is a round, dense fish with a robust and sporty appearance.
Le thon is very widely available but the risk of overfishing is great. The global tuna catch is around 4,5 million tonnes per year.
Word " thon » comes from Latin thunnus, itself derived from Greek, which means “speed” (in fact, it can reach 80 km/h and cover an average of 200 km per day by diving up to 600 m deep). It has a metallic and bluish coat. Its back has two serrated fins.
Little one, we call him “bonito”. It measures on average 1 to 2 m (thon white says albacore ou yellowfin tuna in Portugal) and can reach 3 meters and more like the Red tuna.
Le thon was already very popular in Antiquity. The Phoenicians salted and smoked it. In the middle of the 4th century BC. BC, Archestrate apparently recommended the great thon from Samos and that from Sicily, marinated.
In the Middle Ages, people appreciated thon always prepared this way (the tonnin consisted of thon gutted, butchered, roasted or fried in theolive oil, then salty and very spicy). At the end of the 17th century, “grocer merchants” still traded in thon Marine. From the 19th century, fishing thon gradually reached the Atlantic. Since 1947, Breton fishermen have been heading off to the coast of Africa.
Le thon fresh is a fatty fish (13% lipids and 225 Kcal or 899 kJ per 100 g); it is a good source of protein, phosphorus, byiodine, fer and vitamins A, B and D.
Le thon, food source : The thon is a source of protein and contains little cholesterol. The thon is full of nutrients, including phosphorus, selenium, vitamins A and D, as well as those from group B. thon red stands out from the thon white due to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Studies show that the consumption of thon has favorable effects on cardiovascular health and would reduce mortality from cardiovascular disease.
For conservation reasons, the thon is often sold canned. In Japan, the thon is eaten raw in the form of sushi or sashimi, forms of preparation which tend to become popular in the West; the ventral part, or thon fat, being the most appreciated. Many countries in the Pacific, the African coasts and the Mediterranean can consume it fresh, many recipes exist, including raw or in marinade de lemon (especially Tahitian-style raw fish).
Due to its predatory position, and because it contains a lot of lipids, the thon red tends to accumulate pollutants such as organochlorines or mercury in the flesh, a very toxic metal, particularly in the form of methylmercury. Analyzes carried out in the early 1970s on old specimens of tunas (and D'swordfish) sampled in museums suggest that this phenomenon is not only due to recent pollution.
At the beginning of January 2019, a 278 kilo bluefin tuna sold for a record price of 333,6 million Yen (or 2,7 million Euros) at an auction in Tokyo, Japan.
Quote from the French writer Michel Houellebecq: “…I made myself a sandwich with tuna to wait, I had finished the cognac but there was a bottle of calvados. "In serotonin (2019, Flammarion Editions).
See as well Thon under Mouth slang.
Culinary uses of fresh tuna : The thon fresh has many culinary applications:
- raw, it is prepared in tartare, a carpaccio, a sushi and shashimi.
- cooked, it is prepared firstly debited in slices, a slices, en pave, a steak (we call him " steak of the sea"), which are cooked on the grill or the griddle.
It can also be poached, served cold en s with some mayonnaise sauce ou Vinaigrette ou refreshes.
Its preparations are mainly inspired by Basque, Sicilian or Provençal cuisine: debited en slices, Marinethen ember ou cooked en stew.
Le thon Breton white, sold frais, cooks ember, after passing through marinade, or wire rack sliced.
Some culinary preparations of fresh tuna in cooking and gastronomy :
Canned thon : In Europe, the thon is mainly consumed in the form of preserves, the varied preparations of which make it possible to make mixed salads, to prepare vegetables stuffed (lawyers, peppers, tomatoes, etc) and sandwiches and appetizers various.
Le thon canned is either whole (the “block” is in fact made up of pieces generally pressed against each other), or in crumbs (small pieces), or in netting (small elongated pieces, raised on the stomach and called “ belly »).
- The thon natural, always whole, is first cut into slices; these are divided into pieces, which are deboned, trimmed, washed, passed through brine, cooked by sterilization, then covered with lightly salted water.
- The thon withoil was headed and de-stemmed, cooked in court bouillon or steamed, dried, then cut, deboned and skinned; blocks, crumbs (65% at least) or netting are put in a box and covered with oil (the composition of this is then specified).
- The thon with tomato (or tomato sauce) was cooked, dried, canned whole, in netting or in crumbs (at least 50% thereof) with a sauce containing at least 8% dry extract of tomato and 10% oil.
- The thon , marinade, and sometimes with aromatics, was prepared as in thon in oil, covered with sauce vinegar flavored, and canned whole, in fillets or in crumbs (at least 75% of these).
- The thon , refreshes or pickups usually consists of netting witholive oil flavored or added to condiments.
- The appetizers de thon is prepared with tunas of very variable quality, a condiment sauce, vegetables finely minced, etc.
Some culinary preparations of canned tuna in cooking and gastronomy:
Buy here and at the best price on the market your thon natural canned:
Buy here and at the best price on the market your thon with canned oil:
Buy here and at the best price on the market your thon kitchen :