Mebachi maguro – Bigeye Tuna – [Sushi/Foodlore]

Description

Mebachi-Maguro – BigEye Tuna – [Sushi/Foodlore] Kanji: 目鉢鮪 or 眼撥鮪 – Hiragana: めばちまぐろ – Katakana: メバチマグロ

• About this Fish: This Tuna, as the title suggests, gets its name from its huge round eyes! (Incidentally, “Big eyed” varieties of fish are often given the title of “Daruma” (Yes, after the legendary Monk who was said to reach enlightenment after staring at a wall!) – This fish is very similar in appearance to yellow-tail tuna (see: Kihada-maguro) but unlike its speedy surface swimming cousin, Mebachi are legends among anglers for their endurance and ability to put up a fight! (if Kihada are “Torpedos”, then Mebachi is a “Submarine.”) Aside from the eyes; this fishes thick-skinned, stockier body makes it an ideal fit for chilly Deep sea exploration!! They’re usually caught at night as during the daytime They’re known to migrate down deep into the “twilight zone” cold ocean depths and only come up at night to feed on shrimp and crabs!! – Much like Kihada, the meat is mostly lean red (Akami) but it has a deeper, reddish-pinkish flesh which is said to have a slightly mild-yet-rich flavour than that of the other tunas. Although, it is also known among chefs as a pain to serve because of a thick layer of stinky oil under its skin, (which it uses like Blubber.) which must be removed before serving. Despite that; Mebachi is one of the most common types of fish served as both Sushi and Sashimi globally! Fish Markets will often shorten the name to “Bachi.”

[Art sticker by @samkalensky (yo. thats me!) part of my sushi & foodlore series of stickers~]