The idea of Pescavore was born of a working, surfing, and diving travel journey to the Marshall Islands in 2013. They were introduced to a delightful food tradition of artisanally produced local fish snacks. Pescavore then started out with a mission to improve education, and make domestic resources more competitive in an international marketplace. They take pride with sustainable wild caught local tuna traced directly to the vessel and fisherman. Currently, 94% of all seafood consumed in the US is foreign sourced or foreign processed, and can rack up 14,000 food miles travelling internationally from places such as Thailand or China. Co-owners Mathew and Clarice Owens worked tirelessly to get their ahi tuna jerky to market, where the Pescavore jerky brand was officially launched in September of 2018. Each 1.5 ounce/42.5 gram jerky strip contains 14-15 grams of protein, nothing artificial, and less than 1 gram of sugar. This jerky is distributed by Healthy Oceans Seafood Company, Inc., and they are based out of Santa Cruz, California.
The next review on Pescavore will focus on a 1.5 ounce/42.5 gram bag of their Smokey Poké flavored ahi tuna jerky. This flavor is described as ahi tuna infused with roasted sesame oil and scallions then smoked to perfection. The jerky was graciously submitted for review by CTO and Co-Founder, Clarice Owens.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Yellowfin Tuna, Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Vinegar), Water, Green Onions, Shallots, Minced Garlic, Ginger Puree, Toasted Sesame Oil, Sugar, Wine, Vinegar, Sichimi Tograshi. Spices, Natural Flavors. Allergen Warnings: Soy, Sesame
The wild caught ahi yellowfin tuna used here is caught off the California coast, and processed in the USA. Tuna offers many health benefits including being high in omega 3 fatty acids, plus are heart and brain healthy. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is Excellent (10/10).
The liquid marinade consists of gluten-free soy sauce, water, healthy toasted sesame oil, wine, and vinegar.
There are some healthy ingredients added such as green onions, shallots, minced garlic, ginger puree, sichimi tograshi, and spices. Sichimi tograshi is a common Japanese spice mixture containing red chili pepper, sansho (Japanese pepper), roasted orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ground ginger, nori (seaweed), and poppy seed.
The sugar level is great with 1 gram of sugar per 42.5 grams of jerky. The salt level is respectable at around 283mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky is confirmed as having no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, salt is the main preservative, and vinegar to a lesser degree. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Excellent (10/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
The Pescavore web site states: “We start with the highest quality, responsibly-caught tuna to make our handcrafted jerky. We use premium marinades and whole cuts, then apply the age-old tradition of natural wood smoking. Our small batch process maintains flavor, texture, protein, and nutrients, with less residual salt and sugar than traditional jerky. “
Now on with the review, we each found one very large or two large pieces of AHI tuna in our bags and they were sliced thick. The strips are very soft and tender and easy to chew. Although, these are substantially oily and some residue remains on our fingers after handling these strips, it is finger licking good! This oily residue does wonder for this tuna jerky by carrying all the beautiful flavors and also keeping the texture nicely moist and tender.
The taste of Ahi tuna is at the forefront which is followed by a myriad of delectable flavors. The light soy sauce delivers a mild saltiness. The aromatics such as onion, garlic and vinegar to name only a few are flavorful as a whole while been individually subtle. There is a hint of smokiness and it really complements all these great flavors to perfection. The flavor profile is well balanced and enhances the tuna while providing depth of flavor and richness in every bite.
Mark added: “This is the first jerky to use Sichimi Torashi, which I had not heard of before. A common Japanese spice mixture containing red chili pepper, sansho (Japanese pepper), roasted orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, hemp seed, ground ginger, nori (seaweed), and poppy seed. I think the Sichimi Torashi is what gives this Smokey Poke a unique flavor. As tuna jerky goes, this was my favorite one yet. Perhaps because these strips dried out a fair amount and the ahi tuna flavor was not as pungent tasting. I enjoyed, appreciated, and was impressed with the Smokey Poke taste. Cheers, Go St. Louis Blues!!!”
Paul also said: I personally enjoy flavored tuna; you can find it in pretty much any grocery store, just not in jerky form, which we have here. Not entirely sure what they mean by “Smokey Poke”, so I cannot comment on how accurate the flavor is, so I will just say that I really enjoyed the flavor.
Mark asked Clarice from Percavore and she clarified “Poke” for us as follows: Poke actually means to slice or cut crosswise into pieces in the Hawaiian language. Our recipe combines traditionally Hawaiian flavors like sesame and soy with Ahi, but it’s not intended to be a substitute for the fresh version, hence the adaptation of the name.
As for myself, I was elated with the Pescavore Ahi Tuna Smokey Poke Jerky; I found this product to be absolutely delicious. I love its exquisite flavor, it is not overly fishy and it packs so much flavor that it wakes up every little taste bud in my mouth. The texture is really pleasant and overall, I find this tuna jerky extremely addictive to the point where I couldn’t leave my bag alone for a minute and it was distracting me from completing my review.
As a side note, I even indulged in the residual marinade at the bottom of my bag. There is no doubt this tuna jerky is the bomb, the taste and the texture are wonderful in every way. Pescavore deserves two thumbs up for their amazing Ahi Tuna Smokey Poke jerky.
Finally, I was perhaps slightly more enthusiastic about this jerky then my jerky brothers and with a slight nudge from yours truly, we all agreed to rate this great tuna jerky a perfect 10/10 taste rating. Yipee …and drop the mic!
A 3 pack of these 1.5 ounce/42.5 gram bags of jerky sells online for $14.99. That works out to $3.31 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Excellent (10/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This non-resealable plastic bag has everything printed directly on the bag itself, including the front and back. The bag is enclosed by a cardboard insert. There is a picture on the front with fresh garlic, hot pepper, and cilantro. This bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting.
A slogan printed on this bag is “Wildly Responsible”. Some facts printed on this bag are “12 Grams of Protein”, “Wild Caught & Whole Cut”, “Made in the USA”, “Source of Omega-3”, “Gluten Free”, and “Nothing Artificial”.
There are specific facts printed about the tuna itself: “Our Wild Fish Is Always Caught Responsibly”, “Fish Species: Yellowfin Tuna”, “Vessel/Captain: Cape Blanco/Corbin Hanson”, “Fishing Method: Unassociated Purse Seine, Fad Free”, “Location Caught: Pacific Ocean, California Coast”, and “Meet the Captain at pescavoreseafood.com”. A stamp is displayed stating “Est. 2016 Santa Cruz Calif.”
All bag categories are covered here. There is a great blurb printed on the back about how this jerky is prepared.
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Order their jerky online: www.pescavoreseafood.com
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