Bonito vs tuna

[dantt]

Hi all,

got this on sunday morning, I was 99% sure it's a bonito but then saw a similar fish in another guys thread referring to it as a tuna. Would be great to get clarification please. Either way I was stoked with the fight it put up, threw a metal slug at it, first cast I was on.

[JarrydA]

Its a Mackeral Tuna. Or Mack Tuna as its more commonly known

[aussie123]

That one is a Mack Tuna

[dantt]

thanks guys, we used it as bait, are they good eating?

[aussie123]

Some guys enjoy eating them but I don't eat bait myself.

[pancakes_and_haggis]

Can be great bait offshore, find them abit hit n miss I wouldn't say using them

Would improve your hit rate over a smelly pilly

as for eating, some people eat them fresh but a lot don't rate them!

Callum

[JarrydA]

If you were going to eat them, try it sashimi. They apparently taste like an old boot as soon as you hit them with heat.

[dantt]

Can be great bait offshore, find them abit hit n miss I wouldn't say using them

Would improve your hit rate over a smelly pilly

as for eating, some people eat them fresh but a lot don't rate them!

Callum

I was having a lot more sucess with pilles and squid, every now and then something would take the tuna, oddly enough usually leather jackets

[Angus]

Yeah I am not a fan.

I love Sashimi but have tried with the Mack Tuna and it didn't really turn out that well.

Long Tail Tuna and Yellowfin are my obvious pick tuna wise.

I have heard even Bonito Sashimi better than a Mack Tuna but I have never tried.

Angus

[darcy]

the reason not many people eat it is because they dont know how to cook it. same ball game as tailor. fresh and smoked it is very nice. meat can't be banged around because it is so soft, it bruises so easy.

[livaio]

Get size mack tuna you got there. I bet its good fun catch them.. The feedback from internet, most people use it for bait. Big snapper. I tried it yesterday.. Not a fan.

[JarrydA]

I have heard even Bonito Sashimi better than a Mack Tuna but I have never tried.

Angus

Gus Bonito sashimi is delicious, seriously have a crack i was very surprised!

[livaio]

I have heard even Bonito Sashimi better than a Mack Tuna but I have never tried.

Angus

Gus Bonito sashimi is delicious, seriously have a crack i was very surprised!

+1

[dantt]

Having never caught one that size before, I was amazed with the amount of blood in the fillet even having bled it and didn't fillet it for about half an hour.

It was the first cast of the morning on a brand new rod and reel combo so I was pretty stoked with breaking it in with that fish.

Wasn't overly interested in eating sashimi at 6 in the morning so didn't bother trying it

[Funfisher]

If you bleed them out totaly into a bucket of salty water ASAP then store them on ice and cook them in the smoker they are pretty good in my opinion. But unless total care is taken with them they taste like turd.

[dantt]

I am up for new things, will try and get a couple of tuna next time and try smoking some. I generally like most smoked fish so cheers for that.

[dhess]

I have sashimi'd plenty of them and they are quite nice, but like Angus said not as nice as YFT or longtails.

The key is bleed and when you fillet cut all of the red meaty stuff away. With any fish you are preparing for sashimi always cut the slices against the grain of the flesh as it is all about texture. Having a proper sashimi knife that is razor sharp and parts the flesh as you cut makes a big difference. The cuts should be a glide rather than a sawing motion. Especially with soft fleshed fish.

[sehrguht]

I quite enjoy mack tuna cooked on a bbq with a bit of oil and salt or cubed and fryed. cook it on a really hot plate and overcooking will make it go dry very quickly.

[beckenry]

Yeah I am not a fan.

I love Sashimi but have tried with the Mack Tuna and it didn't really turn out that well.

Long Tail Tuna and Yellowfin are my obvious pick tuna wise.

I have heard even Bonito Sashimi better than a Mack Tuna but I have never tried.

Angus

Although bonito sounds even more like bait, but the pink meat was just the best sashimi i have ever had.

[TIM D]

Here is a Bonito :cheer:

cheers tim

[Remote River Man]

Caught a 5.2 kilo mack tuna near the mouth of the Burnett River from a Dragon kayak this morning. Perfect conditions. Great fight and fun to catch, trolling a 4-inch spoon.

Marinated it in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and olive oil for a couple of hours then shallow fried it. Roll in cornflour, then dip in milk, then coat with a mixture of panko bread crumbs and shredded parmesan, and don't overcook. Perfectly palatable - quite enjoyed it.

[Drop Bear]

7 hours ago, Remote River Man said:

Caught a 5.2 kilo mack tuna near the mouth of the Burnett River from a Dragon kayak this morning. Perfect conditions. Great fight and fun to catch, trolling a 4-inch spoon.

Marinated it in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and olive oil for a couple of hours then shallow fried it. Roll in cornflour, then dip in milk, then coat with a mixture of panko bread crumbs and shredded parmesan, and don't overcook. Perfectly palatable - quite enjoyed it.

Sounds great. 

I often trip the darker meat out of them and have them sashimi. Very good. 

the other thing I love is to cook them very rare and cut up and put through a salad with mayo dressing and sesame seeds. 

I'm glad i'm not the only ones eating them haha.

 

 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

18 hours ago, Remote River Man said:

Caught a 5.2 kilo mack tuna near the mouth of the Burnett River from a Dragon kayak this morning. Perfect conditions. Great fight and fun to catch, trolling a 4-inch spoon.

Marinated it in lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic and olive oil for a couple of hours then shallow fried it. Roll in cornflour, then dip in milk, then coat with a mixture of panko bread crumbs and shredded parmesan, and don't overcook. Perfectly palatable - quite enjoyed it.

Hey @Remote River Man. 

Sounds like a good day! I've never caught a Mack Tuna or Bonito so will have to decide if they are food or bait one day. Maybe not this one though. Lol.

Cheers Hamish