Hammer price at auction: restaurant buys tuna for an astronomical sum

Tokyo (Japan) - Only the best and largest specimens go under the hammer at the traditional New Year's tuna auction in Tokyo. If you want to bid here, you should have the necessary small change.

Quality has its price.

Tuna is an integral part of Japanese cuisine. No wonder that the traditional tuna auction at the Toyosu fish market is the culinary highlight of the year for many gourmets.

The fish auction takes place every year at the turn of the year - only the best, largest and most valuable specimens are offered. The buyers are prepared to fork out ludicrous sums of money.

This year was no exception, reports theKyodo News agency. A bluefin tuna weighing 276 kilograms changed hands for no less than 1.28 million euros.

That's a whopping 4.63 euros per gram. By way of comparison, a can of tuna (200 grams) costs just under 2 euros at discount stores in this country.

The Japanese luxury sushi chain Onodera Group has secured the contract for the luxury tuna.

The company announced that it plans to sell the exquisite fish in its own stores in the coming days.

"The first tuna of the year brings happiness. We want to make people smile with food," said company boss Shinji Nagao to "Kyodo News". However, he left the targeted sales price open. He is sure to attract the attention of well-heeled gourmets.

Incidentally, the latest record fish is by no means the most expensive tuna offered at the New Year's auction. In 2019, a bluefin fetched an absurd 333.6 million yen - more than 2 million euros.

In 2021, during the pandemic when many restaurants were closed, the market dropped significantly. The most expensive fish went under the hammer that year for just 20 million yen - 112,000 euros.

Bluefin tuna, sometimes also called bluefin tuna, is one of the most important and valuable edible fish of all. But the species is threatened with extinction. Strict fishing quotas are intended to ensure its survival.