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Ahi Seared, But Safe Temp?

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    Ahi Seared, But Safe Temp?

    I bought some tuna from a local fish market. They were supplying to restaurants but now to consumers, by order, when boats arrive back.

    About safe fish temps.


    1. Parasites. These can be killed by freezing. My chest freezer holds around -20F. There are rules for temp/time just like for heat, and I am good with those parameters.

    2. Bacteria/Pathogens. Here is the big question. How does seared ahi square with safe temp/times ? I have eaten sashimi, ceviche, etc., many a time with no worries about it. However my mom is 95 and I afraid a food borne illness could be life-threatening.

    I have heard "sushi grade" ahi should be free of pathogens. How on earth would anyone know ?

    Anyway, I am going to cook some ahi today.

    First time I cut the chunks into 1.5" steaks, cooked all the way through. They were a bit hard as might be expected.

    Second time I cut them thinner, about 3/4" and cooked them all the way through. Not too bad since they were thin.

    Sure I'd like to sear the outside but . . . per above I have concerns.

    All thoughts on this are welcome. I hope people will not hesitate to disagree with one another.


    #2
    Sushi grade?? I barely made it through the third grade...

    Sorry, but I have no advice.

    Comment


    • zzdocxx
      zzdocxx commented
      Editing a comment
      This reminds me of when I was 18 and wanted to go to college. They said I had to finish grammar school first.

    • RonB
      RonB commented
      Editing a comment
      zzdocxx - and then there was the college football player reminiscing with teammates who said that third grade was the best 3 years of his life...

    #3
    Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_4465.jpeg
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ID:	903019 I don't know the exact science, but I have been doing pan seared tuna cooked rare for years. To my knowledge, most of the harmful bacteria is on the surface and searing would take care go that. As far as sushi goes I have always trusted the restaurants and the restaurants trust the suppliers.

    I say as long as you're getting a quality tuna, pan seared rare is fine.

    Comment


    • zzdocxx
      zzdocxx commented
      Editing a comment
      That is what I thought too.In the fancy burger places where you can order a burger medium rare, don't they take a block of meat, trim off the entire outer layer, then put the meat through a sterilized grinder ?

      Just trying to grasp the underlying facts.

      Also I am looking for a time v temp chart, lower temp -->longer hold

      Also I don't know at what temp the ahi turns white and loses its red.

      I almost always have a few-several bites raw while prepping, yum !

    • Cheef
      Cheef commented
      Editing a comment
      Way too much trust taking place to make me feel comfortable but that is the way it works. Flatlanders are not known for their affinity for fish though. I like mine FRIED to no question about safety.

    #4
    Also, what about the "quality" of the tuna determines its pathogen load ?

    Is highly graded tuna handled specially ? Are there assumptions about the actual quality of fish and correlation to pathogens?

    Is this some kind of industry and/or regulatory standard, that sushi graded fish must be handled in a certain way, like kosher foods ?

    Lots of questions, I know.

    Comment


      #5




      I went with the pan on the induction burner for today's fish. I don't get that good of heat for searing from the grillgrates on the smoker grill. Plus every time you open it, a lot of temp is lost and takes a while to get it back up. Like I said elsewhere it almost makes me want to just get a regular charcoal grill and one of those sear and slow things.

      OK so first I made up some soy ginger marinade from an internet recipe. I was thinking I'd season after that with some Montreal, but sampled first and no, too strong ! Then I had the idea of some black sesame seeds on the outside. First piece picked up and entire coating which I thought too much, so I sprinkled a bit on each of the other pieces. Wait one more thing, I used a very light dusting of lemon pepper from Costco, "Old Geezer" brand or something.

      Two chunks of tuna. One I left en bloc for later slicing after the sear. The other I sliced up to cook all the way for my mom.

      Oh yeah those little pieces ended up being eaten as sashimi.
      Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_20200830_171130.jpg Views:	2 Size:	3.63 MB ID:	903723

      Scene of the crime. Some coconut and avocado oil. One end of the big piece started sticking a bit which worried me. I was adjusting the heat up and down the whole time, especially with the big chunk. Had my laser heat gun at my side. It was hard to tell what was burnt protein vs the black of the black sesame seeds. Deglace on the pan after cooking to aid cleanup.



      After searing, I put them into the toaster oven at 300 for 7-8 minutes. I did everything outside, yay.
      I think three pieces were commandeered before I remembered to take this pic.

      Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_20200830_182917.jpg Views:	2 Size:	4.96 MB ID:	903725


      The block came out just a smidge pink in the middle. It was a pretty thick piece so well I was just ballparking it.
      I just threw everything into the toaster oven together with the idea the little pieces needed to cook through after searing and the big piece would get a little more cooked. I didn't feel like micromanaging it any more than I already had.




      The big piece could have been redder inside.

      But very tasty. Personally I like it with a little ponzu. Cooked rice in the rice cooker, had a little zucchini that I steamed earlier, and salad.
      Attached Files
      Last edited by zzdocxx; August 30, 2020, 09:36 PM.

      Comment


        #6
        Ponzu.


        Attached Files

        Comment


          #7
          Originally posted by troymeister View Post
          Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_4465.jpeg
Views:	445
Size:	259.4 KB
ID:	903019 I don't know the exact science, but I have been doing pan seared tuna cooked rare for years. To my knowledge, most of the harmful bacteria is on the surface and searing would take care go that. As far as sushi goes I have always trusted the restaurants and the restaurants trust the suppliers.

          I say as long as you're getting a quality tuna, pan seared rare is fine.
          Recipe please ? Are you using sesame seeds on the outside? I had some black ones on hand that I used however I am not sure they look as good.

          Comment


          • troymeister
            troymeister commented
            Editing a comment
            Cast Iron as hot as you can. Little bit of oil. Yes Sesame seeds. Doesn’t matter... You don’t need them. Just a short time on each side and that’s it. Most important thing is making sure your cast iron at is can be just before the oil starts smoking. I usually use canola oil.

          • zzdocxx
            zzdocxx commented
            Editing a comment
            I don't have a cast iron pan so I used as All-Clad as pictured, just the d3 line but it is supposed to have good thermal properties.

            Your fish looks great! I think maybe I should have cut that block flat-wise and made two thinner pieces, then seared it and called it done.

            Yes I was going for hot but not smoking.

            Coconut oil smoke point 450F, avocado oil 520F.

            So it was interesting.

            Thanks for the tips !

          #8
          Sushi Grade Ahi There are a lot of things go into making an Ahi Sushi Grade.


          Has the tuna been traveling or is it in one area eating. This deals with the fat content of the fish. The more fat the better. One must realize that tuna must travel at one body length per second so they do not sink to the bottom 24 hours a day.

          How is the fish caught. Long lines have less Yake (burn) than Rod and Reel for the most part. Rod and Reel fisherman can "swim the fish to lower the Yake.

          Next is how the fish is handled. As it comes aboard the boat if the fish hits the deck once that whole side of the fish that hit the deck is damaged. We use 4" form mats to put the fish on. They do not move so we have two good sides.

          After you gut and head the fish you need to put a piece of 300 lb. monofilament leader maternal down the spinal column to kill the nerves. As the nerves still control the muscles after dead. This way the fish goes into ice with muscles relaxed not in tension.

          P.S. The prices on Wick Tuna are prices from twenty years ago. Today they are $3 to $7 a pound.

          Comment


          • DJSpinkyLoc
            DJSpinkyLoc commented
            Editing a comment
            Sushi grade is nothing more than a marketing tactic.

          #9
          https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/05/...t%20makes%20it.

          Comment


            #10
            Haven't made this for a while - was an original Good Eats recipe where Alton seared it on a chimney, but remember it as very good!

            Comment


              #11
              DJSpinkyLoc it may be a marketing tactic in some parts of the country. Here on the east coast if the aki doesn't have fat and is not taken care of then the fish buyer may not want your fish or give you next to nothing for it. If you have an aki with fat and taken care of you will get top price for it. Which is called Aki Sushi Grade here.

              Comment


              • DJSpinkyLoc
                DJSpinkyLoc commented
                Editing a comment
                frigate, thanks for the info, it's really interesting how seafood is graded, I suppose much like USDA Prime, except it isn't the USDA applying the grade, correct? It's a fish monger, I believe. Anyway, sushi grade means nothing really when it comes to the possibility of parasitic infection, am I right?

                I was super concerned about parasites in ahi tuna that I bought at Costco earlier this year and wound up cooking it to done. I researched it a bit more after that and it looks like tuna isn't

              #12
              ...as susceptible to parasites as say salmon. Anyway, thanks again for the lesson.

              Comment

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