Bluefin tuna may be controversial, but it's still very coveted. Yesterday, the head of a Japanese sushi chain bought a 489-pound bluefin tuna for $1.76 million—about $3,600/pound—at first Tokyo fish auction* of the year.
Kiyoshi Kimura is the president of Kiyomura Co., which operates the Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain (there are dozens of locations), showed off his purchase at one of the restaurants. According to the AP, he admitted "the price was a bit high" but he wanted to "encourage Japan."
Kimura, who paid $736,000 for an even bigger bluefin last year, has put the pricey tuna on the menu already. *Of course, it's questionable whether the auction is real or just a publicity stunt—a commenter tells the NY Times that it's faked to boost the sushi business. Mission accomplished—the photos are awesome!
Japan consumes 80% of the world's bluefin tuna. There are currently limits on tuna caught off the United States, but not off Japan's coasts.
Here's how a master chef breaks down a bluefin tuna.
