Tuna Types - About the Skipjack Tuna

Tuna Types: Skipjack Tuna Facts

Tuna Types: All about Skipjack Tuna

As far as seafood goes, tuna is one of the most popular types in the world. There are many varieties and types of tuna that are consumed by millions daily, which means that a lot of people probably want to know a little about this food. If you are reading this article, you may be one of those people. And if you are a fan of seafood, then trying out and sampling different types of tuna is probably appealing to you. I know it is to me! This article will focus on one type of tuna, the skipjack tuna, and will give you plenty of skipjack tuna facts and other information for you.

Skipjack Tuna Facts: Japanese Cuisine
The Japanese have a special love for tuna and consume a lot of different varieties as a part of their seafood-based diet. The skipjack tuna is no exception. The Japanese call skipjack tuna “katsuo”, and they smoke and dry the fish to produce “katsuobushi”. They then use this katsuobushi to make “dashi”, or what they call fish stock. This tuna is also a key ingredient in “katsuo no shiokara”, which is a food made from fermented seafood. The taste is similar to that of anchovies, and is definitely an acquired taste (even for the Japanese!). But it is considered a delicacy in many places in that country.

Skipjack Tuna Facts: Habitat and Environment
The skipjack tuna is a pelagic fish, which means it lives in surface waters and not at the bottom of oceans or lakes. This, plus the fact that it travels in large shoals with up to 50,000 fish, makes the skipjack tuna fairly easy to capture for Tuna Fishing. The skipjack tuna feeds on smaller fish and crustaceans, like most tuna, but it itself is prey for larger fish and sharks that inhabit the same environment. This is probably due to the small size – no more than one meter in length – of the skipjack tuna. In terms of water temperature, the skipjack tuna prefers water from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius (68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit), although some have been seen in temperatures as low as 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). This temperature range largely keeps them out of the cold waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.

Skipjack Tuna Facts: Hawaiian Cuisine
Like the Japanese, natives of Hawaii love most varieties of tuna, which forms a significant portion of the native Hawaiian diet. Skipjack tuna is known in Hawaii as “aku”, and is known for its prominent taste. The pronounced taste, while popular in Hawaii, may not be as popular elsewhere. Hawaiians like to cook aku by broiling it over hot coals in an open flame, sauteing it, or pan-frying skipjack tuna fillets (which are a deep red color while raw and lighten as they are cooked). Skipjack tuna is also eaten raw, much like sushi, although bluefin and yellowfin tuna are more commonly used in sashimi and other forms of sushi. The eggs (roe) of the skipjack tuna are also desirable and are considered a delicacy along with the fish meat itself.


Now you know all about skipjack tuna. The next time you are in Japan or Hawaii (or anywhere else that has this delicious fish), just ask for skipjack tuna and you will not be disappointed.

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