Tuna has been a highly valued food since ancient times. However, it is popularly difficult to distinguish between tuna and bonito. Already inside the tuna, we will distinguish bluefin tuna, light tuna and bonito from the north, and bonito Properly said. Both tuna and bonito belong to the Scombridae family (family Scombridae). Within this family, tuna and bonito del norte form the genus Thunnus and the pretty ones, the genre Sarda.
In this article by Ecologist Verde we learn to differentiate these species, with special attention to the difference between bonito and bluefin tuna.
Bluefin tuna, light tuna and bonito from the north
These three species are part of the gender Thunnus. Of all of them, the bluefin or bighorn tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the most appreciated. It is a fish with a robust body and a bluish color. From a food point of view, it is a fish with a very consistent flesh with an intense, very penetrating flavor, with a color that tends to red. Bluefin tuna is a species that was already captured since ancient times by the Romans on the Cadiz coast using the trap technique, which is still used today. Currently, its fishing has increased because in countries like Japan it is highly consumed. In Spain, it approaches the waters of the Cantabrian Sea during the summer, where it reaches a size that ranges between 20 and 50 Kg, but it is angling, one by one, because it is a more respectful technique with the environment and does not affect its meat, since the tuna suffer from less stress.
However, in this other Green Ecologist article we explain that bluefin tuna is in danger of extinction, the causes and what actions we can take to improve this situation.
The light tuna or yellowfin tunaThunnus albacares) It is a fish that lives in the high seas, in tropical and subtropical waters around the world, where it is fished and its weight ranges between 10 and 60 kg. From a food point of view, its meat is lighter or white in color and more delicate than that of bluefin tuna. Its flavor is intermediate between that of the northern bonito and that of the red or bighorn tuna.
The albacore or albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) It is a fish that migrates to the waters of the Cantabrian Sea to feed, regain strength and reproduce. It is precisely in these waters where people fish using traditional gear between the months of July and October. It has a weight of between 15 and 18 kg (the smallest of the three), although commercial pieces are usually between 5 and 7 kg. From a food point of view, its meat has a light pink color, a firm, tender and juicy texture and a high content of so-called good fats.
The pretty
It is also found within the Scombridae family, but is part of the gender Sarda. It is known as beautiful (Sardinian sardinian) properly speaking, the one that is fished in the south and is not the one known as the bonito del norte (Thunnus alalunga), which is actually a type of tuna. It differs from tuna mainly in a longer pectoral fin and two oblique dark stripes on both sides of the dorsal area.
It is fished in waters of the eastern Pacific, the tropical Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the coast of Australia in medium-depth waters, being, therefore, a fish of temperate and tropical waters, which approaches the coast in spring and is caught above all during the summer. Three species are differentiated: the austral, the beautiful monkey and the one from the Eastern Pacific. It is a small silver fish, its maximum size being 10 kg and 90 cm in length, although the usual size is 1 to 3 kg and 30 to 50 cm.
Differences between bonito and bluefin tuna
Of these species, the most valued are those of the bonito del norte and that of bluefin tuna. The meat of the bluefin tuna can reach 250 kg in weight, much greater than that of the bonito. Regarding the color of its meat, that of the bluefin tuna is intensely red, while that of the bonito is pink, turning whiter when cooked. At the food level, the meat of the bonito is of high quality, since it is very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and those of tunas such as bluefin tuna, can accumulate high levels of mercury, a highly toxic substance for the human being.
Now that we know how to differentiate them well, we should be aware that the abusive fishing suffered by these animals due to their price in the food market is leading these species to extinction. At the moment, as we have mentioned above, bluefin tuna is already on its way to its disappearance because of the human being, being able to become part of the list of extinct species by man in the near future.
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