Fresh Catch, Fresh Flavors

Skipjack tuna, known as aku in Hawaiʻi, has a significant place in the history of Hawaiʻi. At times, the ocean schools were so large that there were enough fish caught yearly in Hawaiʻi to support a cannery and a fishing fleet designed specifically for catching aku.

Aku is enjoyed in many of the same ways that all tunas in Hawaiʻi are. Select pieces of the fish are served raw in dishes such as sashimi and poke. Seared recipes have aku served over salad greens. And, of course, there’s always use for all the small pieces of cooked aku in everyone’s favorite, tuna sandwiches.

Ask any island family who grew up catching and eating aku and you may be surprised to learn that the favorite part of the aku for many is the bones, more precisely, the meat of the fish closest to the bones. After an aku is filleted, often the bones left on the carving board are seasoned with salt and pepper and thrown on the open grill. Once these bones are grilled or fried, the small pieces of meat missed by the fillet knife are then picked off the bones and enjoyed. In local sports bars and diners, you will often see listed on the menu, "Grilled Aku Bone."