· ネギトロ · negitoro

Negitoro

Negitoro is minced fatty tuna blended with scallion (negi) — silky and rich, served as gunkanmaki or in rolls. Buyer beware: 'negitoro' is often trim, not true toro.

Also known as

negi toro, minced tuna

Species

Thunnus spp. (Tuna (minced belly/trim))

Category

Red-flesh fish (akami)

Texture

silky, soft — rich, fatty, savory

Peak season

—

Sustainability

unrated

Mercury

Not in the FDA consumer table

Pregnancy

Eat in moderation

Price tier

$$

Where it really comes from

The honest origin of negitoro is thrift: the fatty tuna scraped from along the bones and skin — too good to waste, too messy to slice — is minced and mixed with negi (scallion) into something silky and rich. Served as gunkanmaki or rolled into temaki and maki, it’s deservedly popular.

The catch on the name

The word implies toro, but it isn’t regulated. Cheaper “negitoro” is frequently lean tuna whipped with vegetable oil or other fat (sometimes other fish entirely) to fake the richness, rather than real fatty-tuna trim. A good shop uses genuine tuna belly and tastes of the sea, not of oil — another spot where the nerd move is to ask.

Related neta