Buying
Look for flesh that is firm, moist and has a pleasant fresh smell. Ideally, white lines of fat permeating the meat should be seen. This "marbling" of fat is considered a quality point for high grade Sashimi.
The nature of the colour is a good indication of freshness; a freshly cut surface is dark red in colour.

Storing
Wrap fillets or cutlets well in plastic wrap or place in a covered container.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or you can freeze for up to 3 months providing your freezer operates at -18°C.

Preparing
Slice fillets or cutlets into serving size portions of even thickness. The meat is dark red in colour with an attractive coarse grain. It has a rich and strong flavour. Although the flesh is oily, it can dry out quickly once heat is applied.

Cooking
Tuna is actually more like red meat than white: it can take only a few minutes cooking when grilled or pan-cooked - otherwise it should be braised for a fairly long time (relatively speaking, of course - it obviously won't stand up to being stewed like beef!). Contrary to popular belief, tuna has very lean flesh and pairs remarkably well with bacon or ham, which impart it with moistness and tenderness.

Tuna suits most methods of cooking, and is moist and flavoursome when served rare.

To avoid dryness when grilling or barbecuing, marinate Tuna first or baste while cooking.

Whole large Tuna pieces can be wrapped in foil and baked or barbecued.

Tuna goes well with strong-flavoured ingredients such as onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, Soy sauce, citrus vinaigrette or sauce and fresh herbs.

Buy a large piece of Tuna, cut a pocket and fill with a variety of herbs and seasonings then wrap in foil and bake. Or serve Sashimi style (raw and thinly sliced) with shredded Daikon (white radish) and Wasabi (Japanese horseradish).

The Worldwide Gourmet - Australia
Species of Tuna are found all around Australia. The most common are Yellowfin Tuna, Albacore and to a lesser extent Southern Bluefin Tuna. It is available all year but the winter catch is considered the best quality. Currently one of the most popular ways of serving Tuna is Sashimi (raw) as a result of the Japanese culinary influence in Australia. Traditionally, Sashimi consists of thin slices of raw fish arranged artistically on a plate in such a way that the different colours and textures are displayed to the best advantage.