Toro Toro Toro

Toro is the fattiest portion of the Tuna's belly. The fattiness of the meat helps insulate the large fish when it travels through the frigid ocean waters. Generally, the larger the fish, the more fat it holds.
Fat = Flavor
Flavor = Delicious

Every so often, in my line of work, the need to sacrifice one's body comes into play.
In the name of "science", in the name of "duty", in the name of... "god i love this job!"
October 15, 2008
9:00 am
...was one of those moments

We were instructed to taste test Blue Fin Toro. The sushi gourmand's most prized fish. The best of the best.
Our objective was to compare the Toro of the larger (over 500lbs fish) fish to the small (under 500lbs) ones, and predict how restaurants in the NYC market would react.
So although it's great to taste test, most of the meeting dealt with issues such as :
- Are restaurants able to afford this?
- Are restaurants able to properly store this?
- Are chefs knowledgeable enough to use this product?
- If so, how many chefs (accounts) can appreciate the product?
- Then how would the public react? Would they know and appreciate the difference?
- How does it compare to what is currently out there?
- How do we enter an unfamiliar market?
etc...

Anyways... enough with the boring stuff. Let me tell you how it tasted.
Large (>500#) - Richer flavor but a bit too fishy, and very very oily. The sinews are tougher and not very pleasant. If the chef is talented, they will take advantage of this stronger flavor and work around the sinews and remove them all together. A considerable amount of labor is needed but when done right, it can be very rewarding.
Small (<500#) - To me, the better of the two. Well balanced oil and flavor. Plus the sinews were considerably smaller and palatable. I am confident this product will be making it's way into the NYC restaurants in the near future.