Skipjack tuna

Skipjack Tuna

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Skipjack tuna

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna

Tuna

Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tunas are fast swimmers?they have been clocked at 70 km/h ?and include several species that are warm-blooded....
family, Scombridae

Scombridae

Scombridae is the family of the mackerels, tunas, and bonitos, and thus includes many of the most important and familiar food fishes. The family consists of about 55 species in 15 genera and two subfamilies....
. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish. It grows up to 1 m (3.3 feet) in length.

It is a streamlined, fast-swimming pelagic fish, common in tropical waters throughout the world, where it inhabits surface waters in large shoals (up to 50,000 fish), feeding on fish, crustacean

Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s, cephalopod

Cephalopod

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Encyclopedia

The skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna

Tuna

Scombridae

Crustacean

Cephalopod

The cephalopods are the mollusc class Cephalopoda characterized by bilateral symmetry, a prominent head, and a modification of the mollusk foot, a muscular hydrostat, into the form of cephalopod arms or tentacles....
s and mollusks. It is an important prey species for large pelagic fishes and sharks.

It is an important commercial and game fish, usually caught using purse seine nets, and is sold fresh, frozen, canned, dried, salted, and smoked.

The skipjack is a kosher fish as it has scales.

Although the most fecund of the main commercial tunas, the commonest method for catching tuna which involves drawing a large net under an artificial fish aggregation device, is still regarded as highly ecologically damaging because of the high bycatch, including turtles, sharks and juveniles of other tuna species.

In Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule....
, skipjack tuna is known as katsuo, and is commonly smoked and dried to make katsuobushi
Katsuobushi

is the Japanese language name for a preparation of dried, Fermentation , and smoked skipjack tuna . Katsuobushi and kombu are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine....
, the central ingredient in making dashi
Dashi

Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Shizuo Tsuji wrote in 1980 that "many substitutes for dashi are possible, but without dashi, dishes are merely a la japonaise and lack the authentic flavor." Dashi forms the base for miso soups, clear broth soups, Japanese noodle broths, and ma...
(fish stock). Skipjack tuna is also used in katsuo no shiokara
Shiokara

is Japanese fermented seafoods. They are sold in glass or plastic containers.The flavor is similar in saltiness and fishiness to that of European cured anchovies, but with a much different texture....
. Katsuo is considered to have "moderate" mercury contamination, however, and pregnant women are advised against eating large quantities.