ADVENTURES IN ACQUIRING A TUNA

On my way and shopping for my first job after a 2 month break this summer I was in Newport’s little Asian store, “Mai’s”. Mai is this wonderful little Asian woman who I have been shopping from for years. Her store is a lifesaver for me numerous times through the years for picking up any last minute Asian ingredients right there at the coast. She’s very personally friendly with everyone and is quick to offer a sample of some unusual item… usually sweets…

As I was shopping a couple of guys came in with a box with 2 large beautiful fish and gifted it to Mai. I asked them what kind they were and found out they were tuna. These guys were fisherman who just came in from being out for a week. I asked if it might be possible to get one, as I needed fish for the group I was shopping for and they agreed to have me follow them down to the boat. It all happened so fast… they were obviously tired and were ready to be going home but kindly were willing to give me one so I quickly paid Mai and without knowing how big a fish I might get, how much it might cost and most importantly how in the heck I would deal with it, as in have it in my van (my coolers were already filled) and how I would clean it!

I regularly shop in Newport through the years and have always been aware of the possibility of getting fresh fish from the docks but have never truly explored this option, as my shopping days are usually plenty busy and full. While it is true that efficiency of time and energy is important on the shopping days, I don’t at all regret the adventure of acquiring and bringing to the table this beautiful tuna…. Even with the extra effort.

Parked at the docks I had a sweet conversation with William, a young Hawaiian man who told me a little about himself… fishing over here on the west coast for the last couple of years….. While his buddy went to fetch me a fish. They were both very enjoyable and really kind to make the extra effort to get me a fish. I found out that it is actually illegal to sell fish off the boats so I considered the fish a gift and gifted them with a little beer money!

After our good byes there I was with a rather large whole tuna in a double garbage bag with a little ice in it and wondering now how best to get it cleaned. Mai had told me as I was rushing out the door to follow these guys that there were a couple of people at the south beach docks that clean fish so off I went in the next part of the adventure to see about finding them. The first place I came to was a cleaning station with a bunch of guys busy cleaning their days catch. It was a sunny beautiful Saturday late afternoon and the place was really busy… boats and trailers parked everywhere… coolers and sport fisherman… wives taking pictures… sea gulls hovering. I walked over gathering my courage to see about asking someone if they might be willing to clean my fish for me but it was pretty evident that they all had their work cut out for them. I did ask a couple of guys who directed me to a different area where these folks Mai told me about hung out to clean fish for people for hire. I schlepped my heavy garbage bags over and found them and sure enough, for only $4 they would fillet it out for me.Yeah! Well, when he took it out of the bag and realized it was frozen (I didn’t quite realize this myself until than) he said no way… He had apparently cut himself in the past trying to fillet a frozen fish.

So…” Hmmm. I guess I am going to have to clean this fish myself after all tomorrow …. Hopefully it will be thawed enough…. Where am I going to do this?.... How am I going to do this?” By this time, tired from driving and shopping the last 2 days on my way to this job I was really wondering what I had gotten myself into.

Fortunately there were some other people with fresh, unfrozen tunas needing cleaning so I had the opportunity to watch and learn… took some video with my iphone.

I left the fish out to thaw overnight (hoping it would stay cool enough to stay fresh yet thaw enough to cut into by morning). I decided to take it down to the beach to clean it at the tide pools figuring it would be better than making a mess in the kitchen. Oh, yeah!.. First I watched a couple of “youtube” videos on how to clean a fresh tuna and reviewed the video I took… I really wanted to honor this beautiful fish… do a good job cutting it without wasting much if any and I wanted to keep it safe temperature wise and cleanliness wise as I would be serving the retreatants.

Well, after all the energy and internal fretting, once I got down to actually cleaning it, it was not that difficult and actually fulfilling and enjoyable! As with any first time experience our minds can trip us out and get us to fretting and making a bigger deal out of something than it is… Once again I got to see, feel and experience that whole process… learn once again to trust my intuition and skills and resourcefulness and move forward with confidence and joyful anticipation …. Trust…

The next time will be easier and I can imagine looking for fish off the boats again. There is something joyful and fulfilling in getting our food closer to the source… in processing it ourselves and bringing it to the table. It cultivates a respect and appreciation for, in this case, the fish itself as a being…. The energy of that being that we are bringing into our own bodies…. A general consciousness about feeding ourselves and the effects of that food on our own being.

I ended up cutting some of the loins into steaks and briefly searing them on the grill. I first marinated (only for 15 minutes or so… more like dipping them) in a mixture of a little mirin, sake, sesame oil, garlic, fresh ginger and tamari. I than served it with a fresh mango salsa. On the side was a beautiful quinoa edamame salad, fresh green salad with lots of nasturtium flowers and home made spelt bread.

I put some on ice which I served later in the retreat as sashimi and spicy tuna rolls.

The rest I refroze and am having some for dinner tonight. I think I’ll sear it and serve it with some fresh local organic pea pods.

The moral of this story!..... Don’t let fear or apathy stop you from new experiences… You might be missing out on one of life’s wonderful, rich and nourishing experiences…and a fabulous meal!