St. Jude Tuna

Joe "The Tuna Man" is fantastic! I look forward to every Wednesday to get my fix. He sells to local sushi restaurants and at farmers markets throughout the Puget Sound.Joe and his wife Joyce (who used to sell at the Renton Farmers Market) lived on their boat for like 12 years until they had kids. Now they have two adorable kids and have started behaving like landlubbers and sell their stuff at farmers markets.I've had the tuna-jurky with is beyond fantastic, the canned tuna (which comes LOTS of varieties including, garlic, dill, jalapeo - and more!), but I really come for the frozen Sashimi Grade Albacore Tuna Fillets.A few summers ago, my friend L and I took a class to learn how to make our own sushi. We use Joe's stuff to make it happen. Its easy, yummy, and cheap! We stuff ourselves silly with a $4 piece of fish.Joe treats me like his favorite customer (I'm sure I am!) but is so friendly and seems genuinely excited to see me when I appear.

Picked up a few of their cans at Ballard Farmers Market about a month ago. Come to find out, this is what canned tuna is really supposed to taste like. I would have never guessed and I'm pretty sure it's all I will want to eat from now on. I'm just sad they aren't there every time we make it to the market.Check out their calendar to see when they'll be around you: http://www.tunatuna.com/press/st-jude-calendar.php

I've been buying their canned tuna online now for about 2 years, and it's simply the best. It's so good that when I'm out, I just refuse to buy any other tuna from the store because it won't be as good. The smoked one is out of the world, the jalapeno is great for when you want a little spice, and I really like the garlic one. I'm willing to pay more for a high quality tuna product that was sustainably fished.

We try to keep some of their albacore fillets on hand at all times. Our favorite dishes to make are, of course, seared albacore steaks, and Hawaiian Poke. In a word, NOM. Another favorite is the tuna jerky. We buy all of the various flavors regularly, but my personal fav is the Hawaiian one. Some are more dry, others have a little more moisture and oil. Both are great and the difference is really up to personal preference. If you buy them directly from Joyce and Joe, ask which is which.If I was pressed to come up with a negative point, I'd say it's that we're sad on the days we don't see Joyce at the market.

I buy this tuna from the Ballard Farmer's Market. You can choose tuna packed in olive oil or tuna packed in water. Both are delicious, but the tuna in olive oil makes a superb Salad Nicoise. More expensive than grocery store chow, but you get what you pay for.

We'd been using their canned tuna for salads for a while. Then, I got to taste the tuna steaks at Beato Food and Wine. I'm hooked (oh, pun fully intended). Just had some for dinner. SO GOOD!They are cutting back a bit on being at the farmer's markets. They are only coming to the one in my neighborhood once a month now.

The garlic tuna is really really good. So juicy and flavorful.They sell it at Whole Foods, but for $5. Get it at one of the farmer's markets around town and buy direct. Or from here.

I heard of St Jude's during pandemic. They were having an awesome sale on white albacore tuna in order to reduce storage costs since restaurants weren't ordering as much of their fish. $3 a pound, I mean what a steal! This local fishing boat is family-owned and operated. My friend had to wait in line for 5 hours to get three 12 lb behemoths. The fish was so good. I fillet it. Seared it. Ceviche'd it. Tartare'd it. Even though the fish was previously frozen, it tasted best fresh and raw. I can't wait to try some of their canned tuna! They have wonderful service. The woman on the phone was professional and nice when I had a couple questions about the sale. Thanks St. Jude's! Just keep swimming!

St. Jude Tuna is one of many local businesses that had to adapt to these unprecedented times. Normally their troll caught albacore tuna is sold to restaurants, but with most restaurants closed they decided to sell direct to the public. Thanks to social media I came across an article talking about St. Jude offering flash frozen sushi grade albacore tuna for only $3 a pound. Despite reading about 3-4 hour lines, I headed to Fishermen's Terminal about half an hour before they opened. There were already several hundred people in line before me. I almost left after a couple of hours not only due to the line not moving, but also because I was getting hungry. Thankfully there was a deli nearby to hold me over. Almost six hours later I finally made it to the front of the line. I ended up purchasing two tunas and picked up three of their famous canned tuna. Dinner that night was broiled collar and pan seared belly. It was so delicious! The tuna definitely lived up to all the hype. I can't wait to eat the fillets and to try their canned tuna. Be sure to stop by their booth at the Ballard Farmers Market.

Several weeks ago, our out of town guests wanted to enjoy a Washington State Ferry ride, a tour around Bainbridge Island, and then dinner. The obvious choice was Restaurant Marche, where acclaimed chef Greg Atkinson serves up locally sourced menu ingredients of unimagined quality and freshness. We enjoyed the chef's daily choice menu, which included a fish course. It was impeccably prepared, poached in olive oil and served on a bed of avocado, and surrounded by currents and strawberries; it was a visual tour de force. At first bite, I knew it to be tuna procured from just one possible source - Fishing Vessel St. Jude! Joe Malley, Captain/Owner of the St. Jude confirms, "yes we do supply Chef Atkinson's tuna." It is our good fortune that such delicious, healthy food is available to our local chefs.