Tuna belly in oil, an exceptional canned food.

FLAVORS MAGAZINE
THE MAGAZINE OF THE ART OF GOURMET LIVING - N° 273 / APRIL 2021

Tuna belly in organic olive oil

An exceptional canned.
This is the tastiest part of the tuna, but also the most delicate. A rare delicacy whose canning requires skilled labor and is only done during a short period of the year.

In the canned fish section, tuna is at the top: 88% of consumers buy it regularly. But few people know about tuna belly, an artisanal product appreciated by connoisseurs. Triangular in shape, the belly corresponds to the ventral part between the neck and the tail. A piece that is of no interest to industrial canners, because it can only be lifted by hand. It is a bit like the sot-l'y-laisse of tuna, explains Jean Hilaire de Bailliencourt, head of the Basque cannery Jean de Luz. It is also the fattiest piece (around 35% fat), which gives it an incomparable softness, not to mention that it is rich in good fats (omega-3 and 6), which does not hurt. You can also find (rarely) this part of the fish at the fishmonger under the name of fatty tuna. The Japanese, who call it toro, are crazy about it. Negotiated at a high price, it is particularly appreciated in sashimi. The word ventrèche is rather used in the south of France and comes from the Spanish ventresca. In Brittany, we use the term parpelettes, in the plural, which designates the filets of tuna belly.

To be enjoyed plain.
It is a small piece: between 4 and 10% of the fish depending on the species. For an albacore tuna, it weighs only 300 to 400 g, 1 kg for an albacore tuna. It is mainly the belly of these two species that is valued in France by artisanal canneries. Only one artisan in Corsica, Mare & Gustu, sells bluefin tuna belly, in order to make the most of this fish.
placed in fishing quotas. On the manufacturing side, the belly, after cutting, undergoes a
steaming or cooking in court-bouillon, with excess fat, bones, veins and skin removed. It is then placed vertically in a jar in olive oil before sterilization, or laid down in a can like a sardine, which requires skilled labor to correctly position the fillets. It can then be kept for several years and, like sardines, improves with age. However, it is rare for it to wait on a shelf, because canneries only produce it during the peak fishing season, from July to October, and there is therefore no stock all year round.
When it comes to tasting, the less you touch it, the better. The ideal: simply laid on a good toasted bread. You can also place it on a bed of lentils, hot potatoes or even pasta.

Text Marie-Laure Fréchet. Recipes and styling Delphine Brunet. Photos Eric Fénot.