Love Tuna? Love Sales? (or "sails"....)
Well...combine both of them and try Zingerman's sale on Ortiz Tuna....
(from their sale notification e-mail...)
(from their sale notification e-mail...)
The Family Firm Ortiz has been tinning fish is the Basque region of northern Spain for five generations. They buy day boat catches from small time fishermen in the Bay of Biscay.Catch their sale on this tuna...before it swims away. And, if you haven't tried Koeze Cream Nut Peanut Butter....you don't know what you're missing. (it's also on sale!)
On boats not much bigger than a cabin cruiser, fishing is done "the old fashioned way": with a pole, line and hook, not giant trawling lines or nets. The boat pulls up along side a school of tuna and cuts the engines. Small jets from the side of the boat spray water. They churn up the surface. The tuna get the impression small fish are freaking out and it's time to eat. The fishermen--maybe ten or fifteen guys--strap themselves to the side of the boat. (So they don't fall in.)
The fish wait in tanks on board before the reach the docks. Ortiz buyers select the best of the catch, personally. They often pay premiums for the highest quality fish.
The fish are delivered to Ortiz that afternoon. They're boiled whole in brine, then cut and cleaned by hand.
The tuna is covered in olive oil and sealed. Each tin or jar is packed by hand. (If you haven't noticed, there haven't been a lot of machines mentioned.) In a matter of hours the tuna has gone from sea to tin - an amazing, delicious feat.
Labels: Seafood, zingermans
