Cooking Bluefin Tuna with Kris Bunder

At Dinko Seafoods, we’re exceptionally proud of our premium Southern Bluefin Tuna that’s rich in flavour and fully sustainably harvested. It’s an incredibly versatile product and we’re delighted to see how leading chefs interpret our bluefin for such delectable, and diverse, dishes.

This month we talked to Kris Bunder, Chef and Co-Owner of Del Giornos Café and Restaurant in Port Lincoln.

Kris has been a chef since 1984 and cooking with seafood for almost as long. He knows premium seafood when he sees it – and tastes it.

“Having spent 36 years in Port Lincoln, I’m a huge fan of seafood from the Eyre Peninsula and of Dinko Tuna’s premium bluefin. It’s an incredible tuna and the only one we use in our restaurant.”

Selecting bluefin tuna

Kris and partner Brenda Bunder are Del Giornos Café co-owners, and both have been in the hospitality industry for close to 30 years.

They purchased Del Giornos Café in 2004 and have nurtured it into a local institution. They are incredibly knowledgeable of and are fully committed to the seafood and tourism industries.

Kris has been buying Dinko bluefin tuna for three years, and he is deeply impressed with the quality… particularly given it’s a frozen product.

“The new nitrogen freezing technique is an incredible technology. I can serve it to Japanese customers and they have no idea that this is a frozen product. The colour and texture are amazing, and the taste is incredible.”

Grilled tuna with spice and lemon placed on a skillet

Cooking alternatives

A big attraction of bluefin tuna is its versatility.“There are many ways to cook bluefin,” says Kris. “You can cook it over charcoal, grill it on a flat grill or chargrill, fry it in a pan or barbecue it.”

While bluefin tuna can be used in sushi, sashimi and poke bowls, Kris cites another preferred cooking method.

“I recommend using portions cut to an inch or an inch and a half thick. The best way to cook it is to be very quick with it. I simply season it with a little salt and pepper, then cook it over olive oil for two minutes on either side.”

This technique results in tuna that is seared on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. Cook all the way through and your tuna will be dry. Once cooked, serve your tuna immediately.

Stone slate tray with sliced tuna steak fried in sesame seeds.

Serving suggestions

Kris’ favourite serving suggestion is seared bluefin tuna with Asian miso that’s salty, earthy and flavoursome.

He also suggests serving seared tuna with a light sauce and simple salad, in pasta or on a bed of vegetables.

Kris has a number of rotating tuna dishes on his café’s dinner menu including Dinko Seafood Carpaccio with our bluefin tuna, fried capers, fennel, vincotto, avocado cream and fresh herbs; and Josper Panned Dinko Seafood Steak, dressed with green olives, onion, honey, cranberries, capers and rocket.

Inspiring chefs Australia-wide

Kris is just one of the many local chefs who choose our Southern Bluefin Tuna for its succulent texture, amazing flavour and premium quality.

We use an innovative super freezing technique to snap freeze our tuna to minus 60 degrees Celsius within hours of harvesting.

It preserves the highest integrity of the fish… and guarantees culinary excellence.

It also means our tuna can be enjoyed year-round, Australia-wide. To discover our world-class tuna for your restaurant, please contact us.