The same Bluefin Tuna which made national headlines when it was caught off the coast of Whitby a couple of weeks ago is now on the menu in two of the town’s pubs and bars.
For today and tomorrow, one of the town’s oldest pubs, The Black Horse, has put Whitby Tuna Poke Yapas on its menu alongside stalwart favourites such as French Onion Soup and Doorstep Cheese on Toast.
The dish also features Edamame Beans, Sweet Heat Pickles, Bell Pepper, Toasted Sesame Seeds, Pineapple and Pea Shoot Salad – but with just ten portions available, “once it’s gone, it’s gone”
Landlord, Ian Taylor, said: “When I read in The Anchor it had been landed I just thought ‘I am going to be selling that’. I understand some restaurants are nervous about putting something new on.
“We bought a small amount and will do it in two batches. There are 10 or 12 portions of it today and tomorrow and once it is gone, it is gone. As long as we can get some more, and if it goes well, we will give it a crack and do more.”
The tuna was caught on-board commercial fishing vessel, The Dominator A, a fortnight ago and snapped up by Hook To Plate, a fish merchant in the south-east of England.
Clive Easton, is the owner of The Dominator A, one of just 30 fishing boats in the UK meeting strict set criteria which allows him and his crew to land Bluefin Tuna. He works to a set quota and has to record and document his catches. Tuna have returned to the North Sea on the back of herring populations increasing and marine life being healthier.
There has been a resurgence in Whitby’s fishing industry in recent years, and Ian and wife Sue are hopeful sustainable tuna fishing can provide a further boost to crews, local restaurants and bars and foodies.
“The merchant sells to sushi restaurants in London, but imagine if we could celebrate it and tin Whitby tuna or have a tuna festival”, said Ian. “We are doing smaller portions so it is affordable as we want people to try it.”
Sue added: “For us it is so important to have Whitby caught tuna and for it to be kept in Whitby. We would love other places to stock it, as that is the only way it will be possible and to get more people into it.
“It is such a short season and we will not be able to buy it for very long. We put it on our social media and people say they are looking forward to trying it.”
Whitby’s new bar, The Treasury had also added dishes last week to its menu featuring sashimi-grade top loin Bluefin from the same tuna fish caught by The Dominator A.
