Skipjack tuna or striped bonito.This is a migratory fish which is available up to 25 lb (11.3 kg). Although it is often sold as tuna, it is not a tuna at all. They live in shoals in warm seas. Dried shavings are indispensable in many Japanese dishes as the basis of the flavouring for stocks and broths. In the Maldives it is usually cured by boiling, smoking and sun-drying until it is as hard as a piece of wood. This enables it to be kept for a long time. It is used in Sri Lanka in the equivalent of nam pla-like fish sauces.
