# Is Toro worth the extra $$$?



## Mike Davis (Jun 11, 2012)

I am looking to place a decent sized order for sashimi grade fish, and was wondering if the toro was worth the extra money over say maguro. The price difference is quite staggering, with the toro being $49 for .7 lbs as to where the maguro is $27 a lb. Is there that much of a taste difference?


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## SameGuy (Jun 11, 2012)

I'm a complete sashimi rookie, but to me they tasted totally different. I can't say I liked toro more than maguro, just that they were different.


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## obtuse (Jun 11, 2012)

They are totally different. Toro is fatty tuna which you may or may not like over lean tuna. I personally like them both and pay more for it when I order sashimi. It's like melt in your mouth tuna Bacon.


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## knyfeknerd (Jun 11, 2012)

Toro rules! Ummmmm tuna fat.


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## JMac (Jun 11, 2012)

Yeah theres a noticeable difference in taste and visual. If you were to compare it to pork, Toro would be the bacon, Maguro would be like the Pork chop. Curious to were your ordering it from $49 seems little steep for .7lbs. Unless its super fatty.


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## pitonboy (Jun 11, 2012)

The taste differs significantly, but there is so much more: the fat both gives it a supremely unctuous texture in the mouth and the sensation of glorious richness when chewed. If you are the sort of person that likes fatty foods (lardo, bacon, foie gras) then nothing beats toro. It's really not comparable to regular maguro. There is a limited amount from each tuna, hence the price increase


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## Mike Davis (Jun 11, 2012)

Hmmm. Ok i guess i will order some and try it  Compare it to bacon, and i am SOLD!!! The price i found it for was from http://www.catalinaop.com/Tuna_Maguro_Toro_s/115.htm. I have heard nothing but great things about these guys, and am excited to make some crazy sushi.


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## mhlee (Jun 11, 2012)

I would highly recommend not chopping it up or using too much sauce on it. You're paying that much because it's likely a nice square or rectangular block. 

I prefer it with just a dab of soy sauce and best quality wasabi. It really is a treat (besides the fact that it's coming from an near-endangered species of fish). 

Also, be sure to cut it against the grain (if there is a grain).

P.S. - IMHO, bacon can't touch Toro.


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## SameGuy (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh, man. Anybody on the east coast wanna split on an order of wasabia japonica from the northwest? This thread has me drooling.


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## Mike Davis (Jun 11, 2012)

Ha! That is one more thing i am ordering, is fresh wasabi root!!!! Thanks guys, ordering some tomorrow  Any other suggestions? (barring albacore? Not a fan)


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## SameGuy (Jun 11, 2012)

:envious: My korozame oroshiki sits there, patiently awaiting its first taste of fresh wasabi.


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## tk59 (Jun 12, 2012)

I think I read somewhere that fatty tuna contains less mercury.


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## Namaxy (Jun 12, 2012)

Someone above mentioned mouth feel, and someone else simplicity. Without sounding preachy, with Toro I would let it be the star, and not overly manipulate it (ie simple cuts), and not overly dress it ( ie simple flavors). Good luck, I'm sure you'll love it......and don't sell yourself short on abalone :doublethumbsup:


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## jayhay (Jun 23, 2012)

mhlee said:


> I would highly recommend not chopping it up or using too much sauce on it. You're paying that much because it's likely a nice square or rectangular block.
> 
> I prefer it with just a dab of soy sauce and best quality wasabi. It really is a treat (besides the fact that it's coming from an near-endangered species of fish).
> 
> ...



Funny you say cut against the grain. The only time I cut with the grain is when I make sashimi. I find with raw fish, when you cut against the grain it is hard to handle and completely falls apart. Raw tuna, both types, and most raw fish are already superduper tender. And cutting with the grain helps the fish hold together for sashimi. I find it doesn't sacrifice tenderness, and I was taught this way.


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 23, 2012)

jayhay said:


> Funny you say cut against the grain. The only time I cut with the grain is when I make sashimi. I find with raw fish, when you cut against the grain it is hard to handle and completely falls apart. Raw tuna, both types, and most raw fish are already superduper tender. And cutting with the grain helps the fish hold together for sashimi. I find it doesn't sacrifice tenderness, and I was taught this way.





No disrespect intended, and I hope you don't take it this way, but are you sure that you are using fresh(never frozen) fish and really sharp knives?

I never had a problem cuttting even fatty salmon belly against the grain thin enough to see the knife through without it falling apart--unless the fish froze in the reach-in first.


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## Namaxy (Jun 23, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> No disrespect intended, and I hope you don't take it this way, but are you sure that you are using fresh(never frozen) fish and really sharp knives?
> 
> I never had a problem cuttting even fatty salmon belly against the grain thin enough to see the knife through without it falling apart--unless the fish froze in the reach-in first.



+1 without piling on....when that happens it says to me that the fish was frozen.


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## jayhay (Jun 23, 2012)

Nope, non taken. I don't make sushi/sashimi that often, I just know that this is the only time I consider cutting with the grain. An older, pro-sushi guy suggested it when I was younger. Maybe because then I had dull knives  

I'm no expert in the raw fish game, and I'm probably wrong. Please ignore if it's non-sense as I stand corrected. I will say this though, cut with the grain toro can be tender and buttery like wow. But that's because it's an amazing standalone ingredient that doesn't need much help.

PS I've never to my knowledge used frozen for sushi. Frozen fish for anything is absolute s***.


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## SameGuy (Jun 23, 2012)

I find it curious that sushi lovers always say, "Fresh-not-frozen," but all the maguro and toro (and most other "fresh" fish) in Tokyo is flash-frozen on the boat before delivery to Tsukiji for sale and later consumption. Is the sushi in Tokyo truly inferior to that in other places that don't flash-freeze?


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## Eamon Burke (Jun 23, 2012)

There's a difference between being snap frozen on a boat and being chucked in a deep freezer. The main problem we had was when some doofus would put the Sashimi next to the cooler's blower overnight and it'd ice over. Boom. The fat gets ruined.


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## SameGuy (Jun 23, 2012)

I get it. Thanks for the clarification.


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## SameGuy (Jun 23, 2012)

I took this in early February:








And this one about an hour later at Yamato Sushi in Building 6 (next door to Sushi Dai and Daiwa Shushi):


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## markenki (Jun 23, 2012)

Toro is da bomb.


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## mhlee (Jun 24, 2012)

SameGuy said:


> And this one about an hour later at Yamato Sushi in Building 6 (next door to Sushi Dai and Daiwa Shushi):



I LOOOOOVVVEEE Daiwa Sushi, especially at 7:30 a.m. There's nothing like Maguro, Uni and Toro sushi for breakfast!!!


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## SameGuy (Jun 24, 2012)

I hope to go back to Tsukiji in early September, this time with my sister. People think I'm nutty for the "weekend trips" I take, but considering I'm under-paid for what I do, I'll exploit my job's one great benefit: cheap airfare. In a couple of weeks I'm back in Brisbane for two or three days, then possibly Singapore for an evening and on to Seoul for two days on the way home... the long way home.


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