Why is tuna rarely found on a restaurant menus?

Answer 1

Tuna has a reputation as a cheap and low-class fish, which would steer expensive restaurants away from it (though they sometimes do offer tuna "steaks," filets prepared like other more traditional fish dishes). More basic, inexpensive restaurants may be afraid it would be seen as too commonplace to be "special" like most people want on restaurant menus. Sandwich shops commonly offer tuna salad, though, and I have seen tuna casserole on at least one restaurant menu (it was a "home cooking" restaurant, though). Because of health issue Tuna is rarely found in restaurant menu Tunas have a distinctive red myoglobin rich flesh that is moderately high in fat. Mercury levels can be relatively high in some of the larger species of tuna such as bluefin and albacore. As a result, in March 2004 the United States FDA issued guidelines recommending pregnant women, nursing mothers and children limit their intake of tuna and other types of predatory fish. However, most canned light tuna is skipjack tuna and is lower in mercury. The Chicago Tribune reported that some canned light tuna such as yellowfin tuna is significantly higher in mercury than skipjack tuna, and caused Consumer Reports and other health groups to advise pregnant women to refrain from consuming canned tuna.