Tuna belly

Tuna belly is the most succulent and flavorful part of the tuna fish (in Spain it is principally from red tuna –Thunnus thynnus– and albacore tuna –Thunnus Alalunga).

Tuna belly consists of fillets of meat with a gelatinous texture and a rich flavor with a perceptible taste of tuna fat. This product is widely used both to make appetizers and in salads. It is usually conserved in olive oil.

Tasting notes

Defined as the tenderest and most delicate part of the red tuna and the albacore tuna, the distinctive nature of this cut of the fish derives from its characteristic taste. It is much finer and more delicate on the palate than other parts of the tuna. The olive oil in which it is usually conserved adds it some characteristic organoleptic notes.


Other notes

It consists of fillets with a gelatinous texture and intense flavor. Rich in proteins with a high biological value and in fatty acids with health-giving properties for the heart health.


Production / Processing method

Once the albacore or red tuna has been caught, the ventral area is removed and cooked separately after the fillets have been properly cleaned one by one on both sides. They are then preserved in olive oil and sterilized for conservation.


Geography / Relief and climate

The Cantabrian Sea is a coastal sea on the Atlantic Ocean in the part along the northern coast of Spain and the southwest coast of France. It extends from the point known as Estaca de Bares, in the province of A Coruña, through to the mouth of the Adur river, in the coast of the French region of Les Landes, near Bayonne. In its easternmost part, along the coast of the Basque country it receives the name of the Bay of Biscay. It washes 800 kilometers of coastline shared by the provinces of A Coruña and Lugo (Galicia); Asturias; Cantabria; Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa (Basque Country); and Labort in France.

This is a transitional sea between the cold North Sea and the temperate seas in the tropics, which makes it an ecotone for cold-water plant and animal species.

The Alborán Sea, the location of the traditional nets known as almadrabas in the province of Cadiz and Almería, is the part of the Mediterranean which extends between the Strait of Gibraltar and Almería, and from Spain to Morocco. There are different temperatures each month of the year. This is an area of strong sea currents due to the fact that the Strait of Gibraltar links the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.