Tuna Collar

There is apparently a tuna season in the UK and it must be about now because the fish has started making appearances in the local fish stall in Dartmouth.

We were intrigued by the weird cut that sat behind the head of the tuna and so naturally, we asked what it was. Collar, was the answer. Still none the wiser, we got into a discussion on the various cuts . At one point the fishmonger rummaged under some other fish and pulled out a triangular packet which he proceeded to be unwrap with a kind of reverence.

“Tuna belly,” he offered, “ my favourite cut.” He added enthusiastically.

Apparently it was the cut called Otoro , marbled with omega 3 fats and very rich in flavour.

We couldn’t work out how we would cook the collar so we selected a couple of pieces of otoro for the days meal and headed off home.

One the way back to the Apartment we thought about the tuna collar a bit more and by the time we had reached the Quay, we had determined that we ought to give it a go.

We did an about face and headed back to the market, fully expecting the cut to have been sold but no, it was still there waiting for us.

“We’d like the tuna collar,” says I. “Subject to price , “ I added as an after thought.

Just as well, I think for he popped the cut on the scales and with a look of horror mouthed to his colleague, "I can't charge them that."

"Well, we've got to look after the locals," he said before naming price.

"Done," says I enthusiastically as I did a mental note on the state of my bank account at that time.

The transaction being complete we both headed home with our packets of fish. The Otoro was the subject of that days main meal and will be dealt with elsewhere. The collar was the subject of Friday night's meal.

Oddly enough the cooking of this fish caused me a substantial mass of anxiety. I put it down to age mostly and the general reduction in confidence that I had been feeling these days. It was after all a fairly straight forward cook. About 20 - 25 minutes on high heat in the oven and then 5 minutes under a hot grill. Served on a bed of salad vegatabels and with olive oil and lemon juice drizzled over.

Well that was the executive summary. The issue was in the detail. Did we cook the fish skin side up or skin side down? How did we prepare it? How did we get it from hot oven to hot grill ( the cooker was new to us)? Some parts were thinner than others - would they burn?

A fair bit of research went into the matter and Chat Gpt seemed to be the most helpful. In the end we decided to cook it at 250C (fan) for 20-25 minutes because it was about 6cm thick at its widest. We wrapped the thinner part with foil to prevent burning. It only needed patting dry and sprinkling with sea salt by way of preparation. After a fair debate - not quite an argument - we agreed to cook it skin side down and then to flip it over for the last 5 minutes grilling. Switching from oven to grill proved to be fairly straight forward. The image shows the collar prepared for the oven.

After 20 minutes or so of cooking at 250C we opened the oven door and successfully set off our fire alarm and caused the fire suppression system to come alive and scan the kitchen with what seemed like murderous intent. Fortunately the water mister didn't fire off and we got windows and doors open to reduce the impact.

We could then turn the collar over and get the grill switched over on high. Back in it went, smelling wonderful, for a further 5 minutes of blistering heat.

Prior to the fire alarm excitement we had prepared a large Christmas sized platter with salad vegetables to bed the collar on.

Tomatoes, beetroot, watercress, rocket and preserved artichokes were the vegetables of choice. We also had an olive oil & lemon mix todress the salad rather than the fish which we wanted as unadulterated as possible.

After 5 minutes under the grill came the moment of truth. This time the alarms did not go off because I had temporarily turned it off. The fish came out looking like it had taken a fair mount of heat - which of

course it had - and went with relative ease onto the platter skin side down and meat facing up. It looked and smelled wonderful and whilst we spent a bit of time tidying up our kitchen and making space at our diminutive bistro table, it sat there in all its glory. The images don't really do it justice and I never cease to be amazed at how much is missed from an image compared to the real life experience .

Here are a few shots of the meal as presented.

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The fish itself was rich and well, meaty.

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The bones and the connective tissues provided the opportunity to make a fish stock the next day which had to go into the freezer until we found a use for it.

All in all that was a culinery experience like no other and it is certainly one I owudl want to repeat. The cost of hte collar was quite hefty but no more than we paid out at Christmas last year for ltwo large pieces of halibut.