Stomachs Eleven: Tuna Belly - A Banquet

A full-grown tuna can measure up to 2.5 metres and weigh as much as 400 kilograms. These magnificent creatures are revered by sushi lovers the world over, prized for its taste and texture, especially the fatty tuna belly.

Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin' recently invited the Stomachs Eleven crew to join them in one giant tuna extravaganza. We didn't need to be asked twice!

Mrs Pig Flyin's Instagram pic above was enough to whet our appetites. They'd obtained the belly side of a whole tuna from a Japanese seafood wholesaler, an impressive slab weighing about fifteen kilograms.


Sushi knife

We made a beeline for the kitchen on arrival, admiring the cuts of tuna already portioned. Raw tuna is exquisite to look at - its soft pillowy flesh varying from shades of deep-red to dusky pinks.


Blowtorching tuna


Slicing tuna sashimi


Sashimi tuna trio: 
Akami (赤身), Chūtoro (中トロ) and Aburi Chutoro (あぶり中トロ)

Is there a greater joy in this world than achingly fresh tuna? We start with a trio of tuna sashimi, chunky slices of akami - the leaner part of the tuna - in crimson red, and two types of chutoro tuna belly: raw and blowtorched. The blowtorched chutoro has a tantalising smokiness, licked by flames until barely charred. In the centre is a seaweed salad and Pig Flyin's own homemade pickled ginger slices.


Broccoli with mentaiko mayonnaise  

Cold blanched broccoli provides a counterbalance to the richness, dressed simply with a mayonnaise sauce spiked with mentaiko spicy cod roe.


Kama toro sashimi (かまとろ)

There's a collective gasp around the table when the kama toro is served on a Himalayan salt plate. The kama toro is a type of otoro tuna belly - this one specifically from the collar of the tuna, and the intricate marbling is worth admiring for a somber minute or two. We transfer it to our mouths and the fatty tuna languidly melts on the tongue.


Kama toro sushi (かまトロ) 

Pig Flyin' is apologetic about his sushi-making skills, but we can barely hear his protests over our collective cries of gastronomic joy. The kama toro sushi is ridiculously good, although I confess I secretly eat the rice first just so I can savour the otoro tuna all on its own.


Sunazuri toro sushi (砂ずり大トロ)

Sunazuri toro is also part of the otoro tuna belly, characterised by distinct lines of fat that enable it to be pulled apart. The sunazuri toro is found at the bottom of the tuna belly and is especially prized.


Negi toro gunkan maki (ネギトロの軍艦巻)

We move onto negitoro - tuna dressed with a little oil and a liberal sprinkling of shallots. More often this is served on sushi rice 'battleships' but here Pig Flyin' arranges spoonfuls on shards of lavosh, providing a welcome crunch.


Maguro tuna tartare with truffled egg and fresh black truffle 

A tuna tartare is fancied up with a truffled egg yolk and shavings of fresh black truffle. The luxurious combination is decidedly swoon-worthy.


Spooning the truffled tuna tartare onto lavosh


Maguro zuke with goat curd and broad bean salad 

The next dish is a variation of the Cumulus Inc recipe for tuna tartare and crushed pea salad that we'd enjoyed last Christmas. Cubes of tuna have been marinated in soy, served with goat curd and bright green fresh broad beans.


Eggplant in soy ginger vinaigrette (なすの揚げ煮びたし)

Eggplants dressed in a soy ginger vinaigrette make a satisying side dish.


Maguro katsu with yuzu and habanero mayonnaise

Fried food is always a winner but who can deny the health-giving presentation of this maguro katsu crumbed tuna?


Tuna katsu cross-section

Pig Flyin' says this tuna katsu dish is inspired by Izakaya Fujiyama. It's a glorious contrast between the crunch of deep-fried bread crumbs, the raw delicate tuna in the middle, and the lashings of yuzu citrus mayonnaise on top, fired up with slivers of habanero chilli.


Grilled miso-suzke maguro kama tuna jaw (味噌漬けまぐろカマ焼き)

The tuna jaw is the finale of the evening, marinated with miso and simply cooked under the grill. We attack it with chopsticks, claiming a surprising amount of flesh from this often overlooked section of the fish. My favourite part is the fin, which you can crunch down like a potato chip.


Rice with dried clams (あさりの炊き込みご飯)

And there's clam rice if you still happen to be hungry, studded with homegrown shiitake mushrooms and nuggets of rehydrated clams.


Miso peanut butter cookies by J&J

Dessert offers a continuation of the night's gluttony. J&J's miso peanut butter cookies have a tantalising umami tinge to their sweetness and I've contributed a Valrhona rocky road jam-packed with marshmallows, raspberry licorice, peanuts and strawberries and cream lollies.


Valrhona rocky road by me


Banana butterscotch mess

There's a banana butterscotch mess made by Pig Flyin with oat biscuits, banana, cream and banana butterscotch sauce.


Eton mess with fresh and freeze-dried strawberries

And my favourite - Eton mess. Shards of meringue, layers of fresh cream and fresh strawberries topped with smithereens of freeze-dried strawberry garnished with mint.

Another unforgettable meal - thanks Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin'. Our stomaches salute you!


Otoro tuna belly

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Stomachs Eleven: Christmas Dinner 2011
Stomachs Eleven: Bone marrow and pigs trotters
Stomachs Eleven: Pigs head and nose-to-tail eating
Stomachs Eleven: Wagyu shabu shabu and dessert sushi