The most missunderstood and incorrectly identified species in Florida waters is the fish locals call the "Bonito." We caught several of these fish which gave a powerful fight. The large Bonito we caught resembled small Tuna and were brightly colored and very plump. We were told they are not good to eat and received conflicting information on it's status as good table fare from many people. We were involved in several debates amongst seasoned anglers on 2 forums that consider the Bonito a trash fish, only suitable for bait! We weren't convinced, so we did some research. What we found after doing some research is there are 2 very different species of what Floridian anglers call "Bonito", one with superior taste, the other not. So we went with our research, figured out we caught the sushi-grade species in the Tuna family, bled it in ice water, had some raw, grilled the rest and had a fantastic cookout with our friends. We were fishing a mile out of Fort Lauderdale the end of July 2012 and hit several schools of Little Tunny, pictured below on the left.

Both species called "Bonito" travel in large schools and are very powerful swimmers giving anglers an exciting fight. Once caught, most anglers think the following two very different species are the same fish and toss it for bait, discarding the sushi-grade fish because they do not realize what they caught. So let's compare the two common Bonito's of Florida. The Little Tunny (False Albacore) pictured to the left has horizontal markings on the top and is a shinny turquoise color when first caught. See more pictures of the Little Tunny (False Albacore) on our Facebook Album. We caught many Little Tunny's off Fort Lauderdale the end of June 2012. There were large schools that gave us a furious fight. Once onboard, the fish were a stunning blue-green color topside with spots on their belly, they averaged around 30 inches and were very proud of our catch. The picture on the left is freshly taken from the body; the picture on the right is of the fillets after soaking in ice water 24 hours, notice how the fillets turned white on the outside and when cut the inside is still a nice red color.

We started by filleting the red colored flesh and tossing all the meat in a cooler full of ice water. We let the fillets sit for several hours, a process called "bleeding the meat". This step is necessary, this is a very bloody fish and we think it is the key to enjoying your sushi. After soaking in ice water a few hours we removed the meat then cut out the dark blood line down the middle of the fillets, cutting up and freezing the blood line meat for our next fishing trips bait. jiro sushi onlineThe keeper filets were the size of pork tenderloins with a reddish hue. how to eat sushi the proper wayNext we finely sliced some of the meat and enjoyed a little sushi - it was fantastic and tasted identical to high priced Tuna, no fishy taste or smell at all. sushi takeout downtown minneapolis

The rest we threw back in the cooler to bleed some more. 24 hours later, the water in the cooler was very bloody and the fillets had a whitish hue indicating the bleeding process was complete. Next we marinated the fillets for a few hours in a mixture of soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, fresh chopped garlic, ginger, and pepper then grilled them for about 3 minutes each side. They were fantastic, not a piece left over. Now try a Little Tunny, you won't regret it! As of this writing in August 2012, the Little Tunny are schooling on inshore waters on the Central and Southeast Atlantic coasts of Florida. wooden sushi boat plansWe took a trip during Mini Lobster Season out of the Port Everglades and caught quite a lot. The Little Tunnys were attracting Shark too, we had a few stolen by a Hammerhead Shark and a Shortfin Mako - it was an exciting trip! See the pictures on our Facebook Albums.

There have also been reports of thick bait masses of Red Minnows off Jensen Beach where the Little Tunny are coming inshore, even to the beaches, to feed on the bait. This powerful fish will surely give you a good fight. Survey started 8/8/2012 — Last Updated 09/07/2016Sashimi (literally meaning pierced meat) is a term commonly used for raw fish served without rice- though, the fish is not always raw. When you go to a sushi bar and order sashimi, you will typically get between 6-9 pieces of raw (or blanched/brined/smoked) fish- depending on the size of each piece. The sushi chef will most likely arrange the sliced fish, very aesthetically, on top of fresh greens or thinly sliced daikon (Japanese radish) and accompanied by wasabi and shoga (pickled ginger). Most types of shrimp, squid, octopus, and eel are either boiled or grilled. Some fish may be smoked, like salmon, while others will be brined or pickled- like mackerel. From my experience, the most common types are:

A few more, acquired tasting, delicacies include: There are several different methods of slicing the fish. This can be done a number of ways, but I usually cut the fish into long strips, about 1cm x 1cm, and then slice the strips into cubes. You can also slice the fish into “chunks”, which is really just any kind of cut that is thicker than a nigiri slice and shaped any way that is consistent. Here is an example of chunks: Here is an example of nigiri slices: Tataki, translated as “pounded” or “tenderized”, is a term used to define a type of preparation for sashimi. Traditionally, all tataki was coated in ground, or smashed (hence the name) ginger, and then lightly seared at a high temperature. This provided a flavorful crust while maintaining a fresh center. In modern sushi, tataki is prepared using a plethora of different spices. Some of my personal favorite fish to sear using this method is albacore tuna, salmon, and big eye tuna. Here is a great example of of tataki:

It’s a bit complicated, as the term “sushi grade” is more of a selling point for venders than an actual, defined standard. The FDA requires that raw fish be frozen (usually at -35 degrees Fahrenheit) for a minimum of 15 hours- this is called the parasite eradication process. Usually, when a large fish is caught on a boat and is intended to sell at “sushi grade,” it is immediately killed, gutted, and flash frozen until sold. The supplier (fishermen) sells the fish frozen to the vendor, the vendor inspects each fish and labels it “sushi grade” or not (this process involves checking the eyes, gill coloration, fins, and gut cavity). Then, the vendor sells the fish to a sushi bar (usually on ice, at about 34 degrees) and the head chef or appointed inspector checks the fish again for any deterioration or quality flaws from transit. Once the fish is in the hands of the sushi chefs, they portion the fish into smaller sections, freeze what they don’t immediately need, and then thaw one piece at a time (usually each morning a new portion is thawed).