Albacore Sushi

Binncho or Bintoro Sushi

Albacore is a small tuna that is not abundant in the waters surrounding Japan so it was not until recently that this fish has been used for sushi. Unlike its other cousins such as the tuna, it lives in the warm currents, so it has a soft, buttery and flaky flesh throughout the whole body. It is milder in taste compared to regular tuna. It was initially not a favorable ingredient in sushi restaurants because no matter how fresh the albacore was, the pale, and extra soft flesh throughout the whole body reminded chefs of old tuna.    

However, sushi chefs have begun to quickly grill the whole fillet of the albacore just enough to cook the surface and immediately immerse it into ice water to tighten the flesh. This is called the tataki method. As a result, it becomes more concentrated in flavor due to the quick heating and becomes suitable for sushi. It has become a very popular sushi worldwide and is sometimes marketed as "bintoro" since although lean, the soft flesh of albacore resebles the texture of toro, or fatty tuna. Ponzu is favored for this sushi since the quick grilling during the tataki method may slightly take way the sweet aroma of fresh albacore.