Kent, is it west coast yellowtail? If so, it’s a member of the jack family, similar to almaco jacks in Florida.
Yellowtail jack, a.k.a. Hamachi:
Yellowtail snapper:
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Yes, a Left coast Yellowtail snapper. Fresh at our local fish monger. 
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Delicious, either way.
Have you tried yellowtail collar? It’s known as hamachi kama in Japanese restaurants. It’s more work to extract the meat, but it’s more delicate and sweet than the fillets.
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Yellowtail usually refers to Yellowtail Amberjack or Hamachi/Japanese Amberjack. Amberjacks are more closely related to mackerel than they are tuna. And there’s no Yellowtail Tuna or tuna sold under the name.
People assume it’s tuna because it sounds like Yellowfin, and restaurants and fish mongers tend not to correct them cause it’s good for business.
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which is exactly what i am talking about. hamachi/amberjack/yellowtail is the sashimi grade fish, not the snapper. yellowtail snapper is not firm and really not flavorful raw. that distinction is what i was asking @kentkb to clear up, as he mentioned the fish he seared was sushi grade.
i’ve know fishermen here call them “tunny” or “white tuna” (not ahi) and then turn around a correctly say it’s not tuna, but damn good sashimi. locals are wierd with all their colloquial “common names” for fish (some not so common, or even correct)
but yes, we catch amberjack here and the take is limited to one fish over 28in. a real prize.
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Holy crap!
The Yellowtail was farm raised in Australia.
From Trader Joe’s!
Laurie went to the Farmers Market on Sunday and I assumed she got it there.
But, noooo…
Sorry for guessing.
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Still probably yellowtail jack. Certainly looks like it - and still looks delicious!
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My FIL was visiting this past week so we made (and ate) ALL the foods. He’s not a big baker but has a wicked sweet tooth and requested I make some black forest cake with some of the Luxardo cherries that I have in my liquor cabinet.
There’s only just the three of us (two once he leaves), so I adapted the recipe to make cupcakes vs a 3-layer cake. Worked out really well! Substituted dairy free yogurt and almond milk for the sour cream/buttermilk and the crumb turned out fabulous. I wish I’d taken a picture of them when I assembled with the cherries, a quick ganache, and whipped coconut cream but alas they were eaten too quickly.
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I’m making pepper tofu for dinner tonight and it reminded me of our chats about the tofu press on the previous thread
I haven’t bought one yet, but came up with a good interim solution. I saved one tofu container - ours comes in a little plastic carton like this:
So now when I buy a new tofu, I slit the top plastic sheet around 3 edges to drain it, stab some holes in the bottom of the container, then set it in the other hole-free container atop a mason jar lid ring (to provide a gap for the liquid to collect.
I keep the plastic flap down over the tofu block, put a couple blocks of wood on top, then secure it all together with rubber bands. Seems to work pretty well! If I’m going to let it press a while, I stick the whole thing in a big ziplock bag or airtight container in the fridge.
It’s way less precarious than the old “heavy pots balanced on cutting boards balanced atop tofu” thing I was doing!
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Great suggestion. Worth trying here at the Foggycottage SF. Cheers!
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I just use 2 quarter sheet pans. Line the bottom of the first with paper towels. Then paper towel over the tofu. Sheet pan 2 goes on top and I stick whatever is heavy and around on top.
Works fine. Trying to stack up a bunch of stuff that’s not particularly heavy on a smooth surface is where the trouble comes in. I usually use bricks (everyone should have a kitchen brick or three). A stack of plates pulled right from the cupboard, if I use a pot I fill with something heavier. Water, or if I have one a big bag of rice. I just got new wet stones that are probably heavy enough to do the trick.
The rims on the sheet pans keep everything from sliding.
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And that is why, once upon a time before specialty gadgets like the Tofu Press, I would use either volume one or volume two of the microscopic Oxford English Dictionary (4 pages per page, came with a magnifying glass).
I definitely prefer using a gadget made for purpose!
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My copy of The Professional Chef doesn’t really get a lot of other use though.
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If you want to take it to the next level, save another intact tofu box and use it instead of the wood blocks. Just fill it partway with water and you have more weight as well as a perfect fit. If you clean the bottom of your “press” container, you can completely remove the plastic cover and press the tofu directly.
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I hope this link works. It’s on Twitter. If the Thumbnail video does not play, expand its size.
BtW, Do not use a bamboo cutting board if you value your favorite knife and it’s sharpness.
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That looks good, I’m a bit more concerned about the bacteria on that chopping board than I am about the damage it would do to my knives (maybe because sharpening them is a sort of zen thing).
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And @Ryuthrowsstuff - thanks for the alternate suggestions.
I will snap a pic next time I do it, but I really like my system because of it’s easy mobility - I can move it around in the fridge with no worries.
Duke- the wooden blocks aren’t the weight, they give something for the rubber bands to press down on. I use burly rubber bands, so they press with more force than a container full of water would, I think.
To RYU’s point, the wooden blocks are the same dimension as the tofu, so it’s a nice, even pressure.
And I didn’t have to buy anything, it was all stuff I had around.
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Ah, gotcha!
Wood and bamboo cutting boards are naturally antibiotic. Keep them clean(and don’t soak them!) and there’s no need for concern.
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