Albacore Tuna Half Loins | Alaska Gold Seafood

Albacore tuna is caught all over the world. But it is widely regarded among sushi chefs that the line-caught albacore tuna caught off our Pacific Northwest Coast is the best tasting and most nutritious. What makes them the most delicious and nutritious is the fat. As a highly migratory fish, the albacore tuna we catch off the Pacific Northwest coast is at its peak in terms of consuming nutrients as it prepares for its trans-Pacific migration. Gorging on sardines, anchovies and herring make these albacore tuna rich in heart-healthy oils. 

These albacore tuna are not just line-caught, they’re bled and then blast frozen immediately on the boat for supreme quality. Using freezers that get air temps down to -30 or -40 F gets the core temperature of the tuna down to zero degrees. Getting the tuna this cold prevents "oil migration" and keeps the quality intact.

In our fishermen-owned co-op, a great number of our salmon and halibut fishermen scream with glee when these albacore tuna loins are available because they recognize the work involved to achieve a quality albacore tuna. Their boats are frequently provisioned with our canned tuna as well.

And our albacore tuna is sustainably caught. Our line-caught albacore tuna is considered one of the healthiest fish on the planet, both for body and planet. Line-caught  albacore tuna caught off the Pacific Northwest coast gets a “Super Green” rating from the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch and is MSC-Certified.

If you’ve had our popular canned tuna, these are the loins from which the medallions for the canned tuna are cut.  These loins are cut in half, and then vacuum-sealed in seven to ten-ounce packages.

Customers tend to do 3 things with the loins:

1) Make Hawaiian-style poke. See this wonderful albacore tuna poke recipe.

2) Make sushi rolls with a sharp knife, some rice and seaweed.

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3) Sear them for no longer than 2 minutes a side so they are beautifully pink and rare inside and browned and slightly crispy on the outside.

Another popular option seen in fancy restaurants is an albacore crudo. Thinly slice the albacore loins onto a serving plate. Scatter some Castelvetrano olives, two teaspoons of drained capers, and freshly zested lemon. Finish with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. 

Most importantly, you should enjoy these albacore tuna loins. They are something special.

**Pro tip: When making sushi, it is much easier to cut these loins when they are still partially frozen.

Each 5-pound box should contain 5 pounds of albacore tuna loins, which are cut in half, vacuum-sealed in packages averaging 7 to 12 ounces.

Albacore tuna is also known as white tuna, so you can expect our tuna loins to be paler in color compared to other tuna varieties, like yellowfin tuna. 

Nutrition Information

Each 5-pound box should contain 5 pounds of albacore tuna loins, which are cut in half, vacuum-sealed in packages averaging 7 to 10 ounces.