Albacore fishing has been a dynamic part of the West Coast fishing industry since the late 19th century. But its complexion has been considerably altered by recent food trends.
In those early years the tuna canneries up and down the coast hummed with the activity of workers cleaning, boning and packing precooked albacore into cans. These days, however, the fresh and frozen market has become a more viable business, while the number of canneries has diminished.
Every summer-into-fall, as schools of North Pacific albacore are migrating from the coastal waters off Northern California toward British Columbia, local fishing fleets seize the opportunity to bring fresh offerings of it ashore.
Some weeks it’s more challenging than others, because albacore prefer swimming in water temperatures of 58 to 70 degrees — even if they have to swim several hundred miles out to sea to find it.
The larger boats are usually willing and able to follow, leaving the smaller vessels behind to intercept the albacore as they swing closer to the coast. For this reason, even though we’re in the middle of albacore season, you can’t always expect to find it in the market place. It all depends on where those warm and cold currents are flowing.
Right now, however, local supplies are plentiful. And because fresh Pacific albacore is one of my favorite August offerings, I’ll readjust my entire week’s menu to take advantage of a run.
What to look for
Whole loin: Each albacore has four wedge-shaped loins which radiate out from a central backbone. They taper in thickness, thinning as they approach the tail, and should be totally boneless. They are sold either skin-on or skinless.
Loin cuts: Cross-cut sections of the loins. Like the whole loins, they are boneless and trimmed of the dark meat, which tends to have a stronger flavor.
Steaks: Cross-cut sections of the fish, which includes the backbone and dark meat near the backbone. The dark meat tends to be slightly stronger in flavor than the light meat, so you may want to remove it before cooking. The skin is typically removed before serving.
Cooking albacore
First, be sure you’re working with outstanding albacore. It’s gotta be fresh!
Because albacore has a tendency to dry out quickly, cook just until it becomes firm to the touch. Some like to leave the center pink, while others take it just slightly beyond that.
Foil-grilled albacore in wine, onions and mushrooms
3tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons Pinot Gris (or other dry white wine)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 pounds of albacore loin cuts, a portion of a whole loin or steaks
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion such as Walla Walla, or green onions
Create a foil pan for the fish that is large enough to surround everything and partially enclose the top. Spread open the foil and place the albacore in the center. Arrange the mushrooms and onions around and over the fish.
In a small pot or a microwave-proof bowl, combine the butter with the wine, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Gently heat on burner or in microwave oven just until the butter melts. Let it cool slightly. Pour the mixture over and around the fish. Snuggle the foil up and around the fish, leaving the top open so the fish will poach but not steam over the grill or in the oven. Cook over hot coals or in a 375-degree oven until the fish is just cooked through, which will take about 10 to 14 minutes, depending on how thick the fish is.
Herb &old bay seasoning alternative: Place the loin cuts or portion of a whole loin or steaks in the foil pan, then pour on about 1/3 cup of Pinot Gris, the juice from half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of butter broken into about 5 pieces, a sprinkling of salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning, and about 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves. Snuggle the foil up and around the fish and cook as described above.
Grilled albacore in honey-soy marinade
2 pounds of albacore, a portion of a whole loin, loin cuts or steaks
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the albacore in a large baking dish or resealable plastic bag. Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, fresh ginger, honey and olive oil and pour over the tuna. Refrigerate for several hours to marinate.
When ready to cook, prepare a hot fire in a gas or charcoal grill. Brush the grate with a bit of vegetable oil.
Ideally, you should use a special grill grate designed with narrower slots or holes in it for fish and cut up vegetables, but because albacore is so firm, it will do pretty well on regular-sized grate.
Remove the albacore from the marinade and drain slightly. Place the albacore on the hot fire and grill for about 3 minutes per side; if cooking a portion of a whole loin, you should cook it on 3 or 4 sides or until the fish is just becoming firm and turning opaque when prodded with a fork.
Note: do not overcook; for “medium-rare,” the inside should still be pink; for “medium,” the inside should just be turning to gray.
Tasty options: Marinate some mushrooms and whole green onions along with the albacore. Grill them while grilling the albacore.
Albacore grilled with tomato-corn salsa
2 pounds of fresh albacore (a portion of a whole loin, loin cuts, or steaks
1-1/2 to 2 cups chopped sweet onion
1/2 rib of fresh celery, chopped
6 mushrooms, chopped
1 large or 2 medium fresh, local tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
Fresh kernels cut from 1 uncooked ear of corn
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
Make a shallow roasting pan out of heavy-duty foil that will be large enough to accommodate the fish and the salsa mixture. Place the albacore in the center of the pan and brush with a bit of olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, combine the onion, celery, mushrooms, tomato, chile and corn. Toss the vegetable mixture with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the fresh salsa mixture over and around the albacore. Place the foil pan on a pre-heated grill, arranging it so that it will cook on over indirect heat; if using coals, arrange the coals off to one side; if using gas, only turn on two of the grill’s 3 burners and place the pan over the unlit burner.
Cover and cook until done, basting the fish with the salsa occasionally. Depending on the size of the albacore pieces, this will take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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