Smoked Yellow-Fin Tuna

My wife and I love smoked yellow-fin tuna. It had been a while since I smoked some so I figured it was about time to fire up the pit and smoke some yellow-fin.

If you have never had hickory smoked yellow-fin you're missing out. Especially after it has been brined in the regular Kosher salt/brown sugar mix.

Here are all the steps that I took to prepare and smoke the yellow-fin tuna....

Purchased the yellow-fin tuna at Tide Water fish stand located in Tamuning, Guam. Though it's small it is very popular. The fish sold here come right off the fishing boat.


Open everyday except Sundays. Gotta go catch you own on Sundays.


Yellow-fin loins.


Marlin chunks at about 4 lbs each.


Took the yellow-fin home, rinsed it off and sliced it into 3/4 in. steaks.


Close up showing the quality of the fish.


All sliced up and ready for the brine.


Yellow-fin in the brine of 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of Kosher salt and 1/2 gallon water. Soaked it for about 4 hours in the refer.


Started the fire about 4:30 pm. The chimney is really cooking now.


Spread the coals out and set up the fire for indirect smoking. Kept the fire on the left side of the fire box. Added soaked hickory chunks and chips.


Placed the tuna on the right side of the grill, opposite of the fire.


Another view of the fire and tuna positions.


Heat kept at around 250 degrees.


Tuna after 1 hour. You can see the brine coming to the surface of the tuna.


Yellow-fin after 3 hours of smoking. This tuna is definitely ready to be removed.


Close up shot. The brine and hickory really compliment the flavor of the yellow-fin. And this yellow-fin is ready for serving.

We like the tuna flaked onto salads, but I must admit, it makes one helluva smoked tuna fish sandwich.

My wife is having a function and she plans on using it to enhance her garden salad.

Which ever way you serve this, it will be something that your guests will remember. It never fails.

Until next time....