---
title: 'How to Carve a Whole Tuna'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=yAg4FHGsnzM'
video_id: 'yAg4FHGsnzM'
date: 2026-07-21
duration_sec: 690
channel: 'Joshua Weissman'
---

# How to Carve a Whole Tuna

> Source: [How to Carve a Whole Tuna](https://youtube.com/watch?v=yAg4FHGsnzM)

## Summary

This video follows the host as he catches and carves a $20,000 bluefin tuna at Bluefina, one of the largest tuna ranches in Mexico. With guidance from tuna experts Blake and Matt of Riviera Seafood Club, he breaks down the entire fish, from removing the head to slicing the prized otoro. The journey highlights the skill, precision, and care involved in preparing this luxury ingredient.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Bluefin Tuna Harvesting** [00:00] — The host visits Bluefina, a large tuna ranch in Mexico, to catch and carve a $20,000 bluefin tuna. The ranch raises thousands of bluefin in the open ocean.
- **Selecting the Fish** [00:28] — The host and pros select a fish from a pen filled with 300 lb tuna. The host describes being surrounded by 6-foot-long bluefin tuna.
- **Meet the Tuna Carving Experts** [01:16] — The host's guides are Blake and Matt from Riviera Seafood Club and Prime Time Seafood, whose family has carved more bluefin than anyone in America.
- **Step One: Removing the Head** [01:32] — The host makes his first cut, removing the head along a clean line. The head meat is used, as the loins extend almost to the nose.
- **Cutting the Collar** [02:05] — The host cuts off the collar, which is the most expensive part of the fish due to its high quality and limited quantity.
- **Using Specialized Knives** [03:22] — The host uses an 8.79-inch breaker knife and a skin knife to remove the dorsal fin and puncture the back loin.
- **First Huge Cut: Back Loin** [04:41] — The host successfully cuts the back loin, which contains akami (lean meat) and chutoro (medium fatty meat). He is amazed by the quality from the ranch.
- **Tuna Ranching Benefits** [05:09] — Bluefin tuna start wild but are penned and fattened on organic sardines for a year. Ranching helped the bluefin population recover from near collapse 15 years ago.
- **Cutting the Belly Loin** [05:24] — The host cuts the massive belly loin, home of the otoro. This is one of the most challenging cuts.
- **Secret Cut: Spoon Scrapings** [06:14] — The host scrapes meat from the frame with a spoon, describing it as sweet, fresh, and rich in umami. The fish was caught yesterday and eaten today.
- **Separating Top and Belly Loins** [07:07] — The host separates the top loin from the belly loin, noting the fish is 6 feet tall (with tail).
- **Cutting into Otoro** [08:18] — The host cuts into the otoro, the fattiest part. He describes the cross-section showing akami, chutoro, and otoro.
- **Breaking Down the Loins** [09:05] — Matt removes the bloodline and cuts chutoro. The host explains these cuts can be used for sushi, sashimi, nigiri, tartare, or ceviche.
- **Tasting the Cuts** [09:43] — The host tastes akami, chutoro, and otoro. Akami is meaty and umami-rich; chutoro is balanced with richness; otoro melts in the mouth, described as beyond A5 Wagyu.
- **Conclusion and Thanks** [10:48] — The host thanks Bluefina and Riviera Seafood Club, encouraging viewers to try otoro and subscribe.

### Conclusion

Carving a whole bluefin tuna is a meticulous process that requires skill and respect for the fish. The journey from catching to tasting the otoro reveals why this bite is considered one of the most luxurious in the world.

## Transcript

This is a $20,000 bluefin tuna, and we're about  to carve it down to one of the most expensive   bites of fish on Earth. But first, we're going  to actually catch it ourselves. There's only a   few places in the world you can do this. So, we  went to one of the largest tuna ranches on Earth,  
Bluefina, located in Mexico. This place raises  thousands of blueofin in the open ocean,   and we're about to get our own. First,  we need these pros to pick a fish.
Awesome, man. First, these pros and uh me are  going to pick our fish. I don't have my glasses,   so I can't see. This is a perfect situation. How  do I get through this hole? You know, I've never   asked myself that question before. I've always  known. Feels good. Is there a different way to get  
in? All right. I love being surrounded by 300 lb  fish. What is that? Those are like jellyfish. Are   you for real? Oh, [ __ ] Christ. So there I was,  surrounded by hundreds of 6 foot long bluefin tuna  
swing around like torpedoes. Now I just had to  pick one. With our fish selected, time to harvest.   We all know what happens next. Just know that it's  done at the highest level of care. So now we have   our fish. Finally, we can break it down. My guides  today are America's tuna kings Blake and Mattto of  
Riviera Seafood Club and Prime Time Seafood. Their  family has carved more blue fin than anyone in   America. And today, for the first time ever, I'm  going to help cut this entire tuna down all the   way down to the most legendary bite on Earth, the  O Toro. But before we get to that perfect bite,  
we've got to get to work. Let's get into it.  Something went in my mouth when you clapped   just now. Step one, removing the head. I'm going  to set you up a nice clean line here, and you're   just going to go right through the head. Okay.  So, I just cut along the dotted line, and wow,  
just it came right off. Do you guys ever use the  the head meat? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So, we got   four different loins that actually connect almost  to about the nose. It's crazy how long these loins   go to. Later in the video, we'll show you guys the  four loins that all come from right here. Okay,  
my first cut is complete. Now, we really get into  it. And a big fish means big knives, right? I'm   actually going to use this first cut. We're going  to take off this beautiful collar right here. Nice  
and sharp knife. Let's go right underneath  it. All right, we're cutting through here. second fin and the collar. Follow that line. One,  two. Here's our first cut right here. Crazy easy.  
This is the collar cut. So, this is the comma. And  because of how little and how high quality it is,   it's actually the most expensive part of the fish.  All right, my first solo cut. No guidelines. And   with this being the most expensive piece, we  have to be precise here. No waste. So, I've  
done it before now that I'm doing this, which is  super great. We're going more angle now. Down.
That's it. Okay. Halfway there. And  my knife got a little stuck. I mean,   let me see if I got you. There you  go. Daddy had to help me a little bit. Hey. Hey. Okay. All right. I think that's  better than mine, honestly. I don't know,  
dude. We got it. I'm sweating a little bit. Now  we step it up. The big cuts and with knives that   I definitely didn't expect. This is an 8.79  in breaker knife. And then this is our skin   knife right here. So, we're going to use  this to take off our beautiful dorsal fin  
right here. We're going to use this knife  right here to puncture the back loin and   the skin here all the way up to here. Yeah,  I can see why you don't use a sword for this.
the bone but not cut through it. Just  take your time, guys. Take your time.
Back to my skin knife. Create our first  skin cut to take off our back loin. So,   I'm only using this knife to puncture  the skin and to follow the midline.
This is the crucial moment. My first huge cut. Like a pro. There you go. There you go. You  want to hear that sound of the separation
slide. Oh my god. Oh, there it is. This right  here is our back loin and this has akami and   chro cuts in it. The akami is the bright red  lean meat. Chro is the pink medium fatty meat.  
And I'm in search for the most luscious,  the most fatty, the most buttery bite in   dude. That was pretty badass. I'm kind of  blown away this came from a ranch. I mean,   it's a beautiful fish. These tuna actually  start completely in the wild. But once penned,  
they live like millionaires, fattening on the  best organic sardines for an entire year. Only   bluefina does this, so every single tuna can reach  peak flavor and fattiness, making the best otoro.   What's crazy is that the blueofin population  nearly collapsed 15 years ago. But ranching is  
a big reason that they're safe to eat again. But  now we have to cut the massive belly loin, home of   the otto. It's one of the most challenging,  but also satisfying cuts. Listen carefully.
Go. [Music] And this is the otto right here. So,  we successfully cut this massive fish in half,  
but now we have to finish cutting before we break  the otto down into edible pieces. Until then,   there is one secret cut that very few will  ever get to taste. At least not like this.   from the frame of the fish. Scraped off  simply with a spoon. How is it? Sweet,  
fresh, clean. That rich umami. I mean,  this is about as fresh as it gets,   buddy. It was out of the water yesterday and in  my mouth today. We're going to take the frame off   of the second half of the fish and then we're  going to get the last two back loin and belly.
Going to give it my uh my  best shot here. Here we go. Wow. This is so satisfying.
You got her? Yep. Jesus Christ. I don't  want to I don't want to whack the meat   again. Just don't whack me. Woo! Dude, this  thing is almost as tall as I am. Actually,   it is if it had the tail attached to it. It  really would. This is a 6ft fish. 5'11 though,  
right? No, no, no. 6' one with shoes. So,  we're close to being finished. But now we   have a big test for me. Separating  the top loin from the belly loin.
Let's get it going. Oh, I didn't even  have to do anything. That was   pretty satisfying. Not bad. Only one  more cut. If I can get through this,  
we can finally start breaking down the belly and  get our otor. The next cut we're going to do,   we're going to remove this bone/tendon. You  can do the exact same thing you did last time.
You guys are trusting me quite a bit here.   Okay, so we're good. What'll happen typically  in a sushi bar when they receive this tuna is   that this fish will be cut typically to hand  lengths. So hand length. So like right here.  
This is the moment of truth. We're cutting into  the otto. And I'm feeling kind of hot right now. I'll be honest. After that first cut,  this one felt sensual, if you will.
I felt more confident on that one. This is a moment I've always dreamed of. This  incredible cross-section that shows all three   parts of the tuna in one. The lean, which is the  deeply red akami, the medium fatty pink churro,  
and the fattiest, butteriest melt in-you mouth  otoro. The holy grail. We got a lot of tuna   the real fun begins. So, first I'm going to  start by taking out the bloodline. You can  
see that Matt's doing long smooth strokes.  He's not sawing through the bloodline. Now,   Matt moves on to the medium fatty churro. You can  use both cuts for sushi, sashimi, nigiri, tatar,  
or even ceviche. But, we know what we're really  here for, the otoro. So, this is the otoro cut. So, this is our otoro, but specifically,  it's like the center cut of the center  
cut. It's just like glistening, dude. Now that  these are all broken down, we're handing the   baton to Blake and Matt's sister Claire, who will  expertly break these down into the most perfect,   freshest sashimi pieces we'll ever eat.  We're going to eat these from akami choro  
to oo toro. Starting with aami. Let's all grab a  slice. Little soy. Cheers. Tartar flemen. Dude,   it's got the acidity. It's got the real aromatics  to it. Akami is my least favorite cut, but this  
is some of the best akami I think I've ever had.  It's not quite creamy. You're leaning into that   sort of like meaty umami. onto Chro. Wow. World  of difference. So balanced cuz you get the umami,   but you also get it a little bit of that richness  to help cool it off a little. It's my favorite.  
I also feel like the soy lends itself better to  this. Literally emulsifying in your mouth. Okay,   it's time. The best piece in the house, the  O Toro. Cheers. This journey has been insane.  
From literally swimming with blueofin  tuna in Mexico to carving a 300 lb fish,   it finally culminates to this one moment. I mean,  this is like beyond A5 Wagu fish. It's more than  
that. Something about it so special. It melts  in your mouth. It's so tender. It's so fatty.   you go to a sushi restaurant. You wonder why it's  so goddamn good. And now hopefully you understand  
a little bit more about that. It's just so special  when you eat it. It's the only way you can quench   that thirst is with a piece of otoro. Huge thank  you to Bufina and Riviera Seafood Club. These guys   are beasts. If you want to learn more about them,  go to the description. Please click and check them  
out. Go get yourself some Oro or whichever one  you want. You know, maybe you need to get a little   flight. These guys will ship it straight to your  house. You can experience this yourself. Maybe   it. How about that? So, come back and watch  this twice. Love you so much. Subscribe. Bye.