Why Toro Tuna Is So Expensive

Seafood was expensive before inflation reared its ugly head and prices aren't going down anytime soon. That's bad news for toro fans, as toro tuna is one of the most expensive cuts of seafood on the market. Before we get everything confused, toro tuna is a cut of tuna; not a type of tuna.

Toro is the fatty belly of a tuna fish prized for its rich, buttery flavor and silky smooth texture. Toro tuna is sometimes confused with otoro tuna, but this is a misunderstanding. Otoro and chutoro are two different types of toro. With so many different tuna terms to memorize for your next order at a sushi restaurant, it can be hard to keep track of it all; but it's not so hard once you try.

If you ever do order toro, you'll want to double check the price first as the cut is notoriously pricey. The reason is relatively straightforward: Supply and demand. The inexhaustible demand for toro is sky high because seafood fans know and love toro's exquisite flavor. The supply of toro, on the other hand, is not inexhaustible. Commercial fisheries have been working to ensure the source of their profits (the tuna) doesn't disappear, which means both commercial and governmental institutions have taken steps to ensure tuna is not overfished. Reasonable minds may differ on how successful this has been, but the positive impact these efforts have had on the supply of tuna is undeniable.

When supply is low and demand is high, what you get is textbook economics: The price will begin to rise. If the ratio of supply and demand ever shifts in the future, the price will fluctuate to accommodate for it. A decrease in demand would inevitably lead to lower prices while an increase in supply would do the same.

As an example of how this has played out in the past, consider the fact that toro wasn't always so popular. Before modern food preservation methods were invented (such as the refrigerator), toro would often spoil first. This kept demand quite low as nobody wanted to pay for a cut of meat that would go bad so quickly. Times changed and seafood chefs began to take notice of this delicious cut of meat. They began to sell it as a choice cut and demand for toro rose in kind.

The situation becomes even more complicated when you consider bluefin tuna. Although toro tuna refers to the fatty belly of all different kinds of tuna, it's most commonly associated with bluefin tuna. Bluefin tuna is the most expensive type of seafood period because the fish is critically endangered, yet still subject to incorrigible demand. There have been signs recently that sustainability efforts are succeeding, but success won't come overnight. Even still, if bluefin tuna does come off the endangered species list in the future, it's a safe bet the price will come back down.