3 Reasons to Cut the Bloodline Out of Tuna

It ruins the flavor The dark red-brown strip along the center of a tuna steak has the strongest, fishiest, almost metallic taste. Removing it gives you clean-tasting tuna.

It’s not blood — it’s worse That strip is dense, fatty muscle packed with myoglobin and enzymes, which creates a sharp, gamy flavor. Cutting it out is easy: slide a sharp knife under it and slice it off in one piece.

The waste is minimal You lose only about 10-15% of the steak, and the rest tastes far better. If you want a mild, sushi-grade bite, just trash it.