At Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub in Oceanside, chef Davin Waite only serves Pacific bluefin tuna that’s been hook-and-line caught locally. He doesn’t always have it on the menu, but when he does, he makes sure to use every bit of the fish, from yakitori hearts and liver mousse to Kentucky-style fried tuna heads.
“It was the mentality of needing to have tuna on the menu all the time, no matter what, that got us in trouble in the first place,” Waite says. Now it’s about making each fish go as far as possible.
Waite purchased a steak locker during the pandemic to dry-age fish more precisely, which has helped him to extend the lifespan of whole tuna. He might get a 200-pound tuna, serve half of it the first week, and dry-age the rest for the future.
“It gets better with time,” Waite says. “When you dry-age a fish, the eyes are just as clear as the day you put it in there. The bones make a better stock, and if you marinade it right, certain cuts can taste just like steak.”
A yellow rating is a step in the right direction, but it’s still not a green light for overconsumption. As consumers and diners, we each vote with our dollars. Ask where your fish is coming from, and trust chefs like Waite and Deckman to introduce you to lesser-known but more-sustainable seafood (anchovies and albacore, anyone?) so that the bluefin tuna you know and love won’t disappear entirely from menus—and oceans.•
