Saké Restaurant & Bar celebrates winter and the season’s finest and most flavoursome sustainable Southern Bluefin Tuna.
The Japanese restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne have added limited-edition Southern Bluefin tuna dishes to the menu.
Saké restaurants at The Rocks, Double Bay and Manly in Sydney and Hamer Hall in Melbourne are renowned for their made-to-order sushi and sashimi using sustainable seafood.
Southern Bluefin Tuna fatten up in the colder winter months therefore the extra-fatty belly or toro is most flavoursome. The word toro means ‘to melt’. It is a great opportunity for Saké chefs to experiment with new dishes thereby showcasing this highly prized and most highly valued tuna.
Different Grades of Tuna Meat
Saké Brand Culinary Chef Shimpei Hatanaka explains that there are three main types of tuna meat that are most consumed.
- Ootoro:
The most highly prized meat is considered a delicacy. It is taken from the underbelly of the tuna towards the head. It is very fatty and rich in flavour. It is also the most expensive tuna meat. - Chutoro
The second-best grade of tuna is semi-fatty and less rich in flavour than toro. It is found between the ootoro and akami on the belly and available from the back. - Akami
This is the most common form of tuna meat. It is lean, red meat and the least expensive.
Sustainable Tuna Practices
Saké sources tuna from South Australia’s Spencer Gulf where it is farmed sustainably. Using farmed tuna above all else means wild stocks are not depleted.
Saké chefs purchase whole bodies of tuna and break them down using a technique called maguro kaitai. The chefs are able to use every part of the tuna, therefore, ensuring nothing is wasted.
The largest Saké restaurant in The Rocks uses around 20 kilograms, or half of a tuna, every day.
Less than 5% of toro is retrieved from one tuna body, therefore it is in high demand.
New Tuna Dishes
Saké chefs have created a series of special winter dishes to showcase the precious tuna toro.
Chef Shimpei designed Toro Truffle Sashimi which is being offered at all four Saké restaurants.
Tuna season coincides with the Australian winter truffle season therefore these premium ingredients are natural partners.
The earthy flavour of truffle goes well with the freshness of seafood, Chef Shimpei explains.
The dish also incorporates robata grilling techniques. Jalapeno and onion are char-grilled until blackened then pureed. A little puree is added to the sashimi with baby coriander, yuzu soy and shaved truffle
“We’re letting the freshness of the toro speak for itself with the earthy flavour of truffles and smokiness from the grill,” Chef Shimpei says.
Each Saké restaurant features a second tuna dish, designed by its Head Chef.
Saké Rocks Tuna Dish
Saké The Rocks offers:
- Toro Nigiri Three Ways | natural truffle | aburi chilli radish | gunkan pickled daikon shiso
The first option is toro nigiri served with truffle. The second option is toro nigiri flame seared with chilli radish. The third option sees toro nigiri served the crunch of pickled daikon
Saké Double Bay Tuna Dish
At Saké Double Bay Head Chef Jungbae Cho offers:
- Bluefin tuna ceviche | akami toro | avocado chimichurri | cucumber | sesame | onion | ginger soy
The dish features a mix of toro and akami tuna meat and adds a Japanese twist to the traditional Peruvian ceviche.
Saké Manly Tuna Dish
Saké Manly Head Chef Shoji Toro offers:
- Bluefin tuna tataki | shallot | yuzu peel | sesame | Shio dare | truffle oil
The dish features chutoro which is seasoned and seared on the hot grill, therefore lightly cooking on the outside and remaining raw internally.
Saké Hamer Hall Tuna Dish
At Saké Hamer Hall Head Chef Yosuke Hatanaka offers:
- Bluefin tuna balsamic soy | kizami wasabi | eshallots | micro shiso | balsamic wasabi sesame soy
Served sashimi-style otoro tuna is accompanied by wasabi stems with an aged balsamic wasabi sesame soy sauce which kicks through the richness of the tuna.
Reserve a table at www.sakerestaurant.com.au to try Saké’s limited-edition Southern Bluefin Tuna dishes.
*Subject to availability.
