Opah is a warm bodied fish that has been incidentally caught by Pacific longline fisherman targeting other species like tuna. Fish markets like Catalina Offshore Products in San Diego, CA are creating a market by educating chefs on the various uses of this incredible fish. It has seven distinct cuts of meat ranging from high end sushi from the center loin, belly meat with fat that resembles bacon, to dark red meat that can be used like beef from the abductor muscle.
Here is an in depth tutorial about how to fillet a whole Opah and an explanation of all the cuts.
Cuts
Top Back Strap – The top back strap is best used for cooked applications like stir fry, sandwiches, soups and skewers.
Mid Strap Loin – The mid strap is similar to the back strap but can be used for the center of the plate because it is a bit bigger.
Center Cut Loin – The center cut loin is the fillet mignon of the fish. It has a texture similar to albacore and can be used in raw applications to replace albacore.
Back Tail – The back tail is similar in texture and flavor as the mid strap loin but with a little softer texture and more fat.
Belly – The belly is dense like a pork chop and is extremely fatty. I can be used to make Opah bacon and when sliced thin, it is perfect to fry since the fats come out an coat the fish to form a crust.
Adductor – The Adductor resembles beef and can be used as a beef substitute for sausage, meatballs, meatloaf, or even raw applications like beef tartar.
Abductor – The Abductor is similar to the Adductor in color and texture. It has a flavor profile that is similar to yellow fin tuna. this can be cooked or eaten raw.
Uses
Chef Mike Reidy from Ironside Fish and Oyster regularly uses it as part of his fish of the day because he can get one in whole and break it down for cooked and raw dishes. They can use it as the fish of the day, in crudo dishes and they use the scraps in a fish pasta that utilizes all the bits instead of throwing them away. This is an easy way to make more money by utilizing the whole animal.
Sustainablility
Seafood Watch rates Opah as “Good Alternative,” and chefs are switching away from Tuna and Swordfish by substituting Opah since it has similar texture and flavor. Our goal at Chef Epic is to promote the use of underutilized species so we can eat a diverse selection of fish. Our consumption of Tuna, Salmon, Halibut, and similar species is leading to over fishing of these fisheries. Creating dishes around underutilized species also makes for a more interesting menu. As chef, you will be known for pushing boundaries, which will make you stand out from other restaurants.
Every fishing method will result in catching untargeted species, but because long liner boats can set the depth of their lines they can avoid more by-catch than other fishing methods. The key is to buy from American boats because they are more heavily regulated than other boats from around the world. According to seatotable.com a little over 90 percent of our seafood is imported from all over the world where there are less restrictions for managing fisheries. A majority of what we catch domestically is exported because we don’t like to eat dogfish, monkfish, etc. because the American consumer isn’t used to those fish.
According to seatotable.com the average miles traveled for a piece of fish in the US is 5,000 miles. The carbon footprint of shipping fish all over the world adds up fast and seems totally unnecessary if people just ate what was available locally. The fish you serve will also taste less fresh as it spends weeks in transport. If you are in a region that isn’t surrounded by water, maybe it’s best to tell a sustainable story about the plants and proteins available around you.
(The following excerpt was taken from an interview with Dave Rudie, owner of Catalina Offshore Products)
“Let’s talk about deep set long-lining. Over the last few years, I’ve started buying more long-lined fish and it’s mostly Tuna and Opah. The fish are caught in a method called the “deep set long-line.” The fishermen that I’m buying from, a number of them were originally fishing out of Hawaii. They contacted me about 4 years ago and said that they had found a good stock of fish that was a little bit closer to California than Hawaii. They asked if I could buy their fish, and I said “Okay, let’s give it a shot.” They’ve been having some pretty good catches. They bring in a combination of Big Eye tuna, Yellowfin tuna, Opah, Wahoo, Monchong, Mahi-Mahi, and Escolar are the main fish.”
“We have about 4-5 boats on average working and bringing in around one load each month, so we get about 5 boats per month. The method as I mentioned, it’s deep set long-line. Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Seafood Watch gives it a yellow rating, because it’s managed by the U.S. government. The U.S. government has a lot of restrictions and regulations to make sure that we’re fishing sustainably and minimizing by-catch. There is very little by-catch in the deep set long-line. Any time you put a hook in the water with bait, you never know exactly what you’re going to catch. There is by-catch in all fisheries. I’d have to look up some data to find out what the distribution is, but deep set long-line is considered a good alternative by Monterey Bay aquarium. That’s a good starting point.”
Sources
1) https://store.catalinaop.com/collections/premium-fish-fillets/products/opah
2) seatotable.com
