Tuna belly (toro) ◆

Ventrèche de thon rouge (toro)

What it is

Edo sushi cured its tuna in soy, and fat will not take a cure — so the belly spoiled first and went to the cats, a piece the trade called neko-matagi, what even a cat steps over. It became the most expensive thing on the counter only once domestic refrigeration spread in the 1960s.

In the kitchen

Cut it across the sinew and let it come up to about 12 °C before serving — straight from the fridge the fat stays waxy and reads as nothing at all. Rather than fighting the tough web at the base, scrape the flesh off it and serve that as negitoro.

Goes with

Wasabi Koikuchi shoyu Rice Nori Shiso Spring onion

Same species

Albacore Maguro-bushi Mojama Tuna bottarga Tuna Ventresca

In season alongside

Capon Goose foie gras Thornyhead (kinki) Poularde Boudin blanc Japanese amberjack (buri)

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