What Is Toro Tuna? The Cut Behind Singapore's Crunchiest Fish Snack

If You've Eaten Sushi, You've Probably Heard of Toro

Walk into any decent sushi restaurant in Singapore — from the neighbourhood conveyor-belt joints to the omakase counters along Tanjong Pagar — and you'll spot the word toro on the menu. It's Japanese for the fatty belly portion of the bluefin tuna, and it's widely considered the most prized cut of fish in the sushi world.

But what exactly makes toro so special? And what does a premium sushi cut have to do with a bag of crunchy tuna chips? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

Toro 101: Understanding the Cut

In Japanese cuisine, tuna is broken down into several grades based on where the flesh sits on the fish:

• Akami — the lean, deep-red loin meat that most of us picture when we think of tuna sashimi.
• Chutoro — the medium-fatty belly, marbled with just enough fat to melt on the tongue.
• Otoro — the fattiest section closest to the head, pale pink, buttery, and eye-wateringly expensive at auction.

When people simply say "toro," they're usually referring to either chutoro or otoro — the belly cuts prized for their rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture and deep umami flavour. At Tokyo's Toyosu Market, a single bluefin tuna can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it's the toro sections that command the highest bids.

Why Is Toro So Valued?

It comes down to fat distribution. The belly of the tuna works hard as the fish swims thousands of kilometres across open ocean. That constant movement creates intricate marbling — ribbons of omega-3-rich fat woven through the muscle. Those omega-3 fatty acids (particularly DHA and EPA) are not just delicious; they're genuinely good for brain health, heart health, and reducing inflammation.

In other words, the very thing that makes toro taste incredible is the same thing that makes tuna one of the most nutritious fish in the sea.

So Why Did Chippity Co Name Its Chips "Toro"?

When we set out to create a tuna chip that Singaporeans would actually get excited about, we kept coming back to one idea: do for snacking what toro does for sushi. Take the best qualities of tuna — the richness, the omega-3s, the deep savoury flavour — and translate them into something you can munch at your desk, on the MRT, or while binge-watching a K-drama.

The name Toro Chips is our nod to that ambition. We wanted a snack that honours the fish rather than disguising it under layers of artificial coating.

What Goes Into Every Bag

Every batch of Toro Chips is made with 70% wild-caught tuna — not farmed, not filler-padded. The tuna is sourced from certified fisheries, processed into a seasoned chip, and baked until it hits that satisfying crunch. Here's what you get in every 80 g serving:

• 17.4 g of protein — more than a hard-boiled egg.
• 544 mg of DHA omega-3 — the same brain-boosting fatty acid that makes toro sushi so nutritious.
• No pork, no lard, no preservatives — Muslim-friendly and label-transparent.

We use a small amount of MSG for seasoning — clearly listed on the ingredients panel — because we believe in honest labelling rather than hiding flavour enhancers behind vague terms.

From Sushi Counter to Snack Aisle

Singapore is a city that takes its food seriously. We queue for chicken rice, debate the merits of dry versus gravy ban mian, and know the difference between good and great chilli crab. So when it comes to snacks, why should we settle for generic potato chips flown in from overseas?

Toro Chips started with a simple question: what if we applied the same respect for ingredients that a sushi chef brings to the counter, but made it accessible as an everyday snack?

That means starting with quality wild-caught tuna, keeping the ingredient list short and readable, and never compromising on nutrition just to shave a few cents off production cost.

Who Is Toro For?

Honestly? Anyone who snacks. But we've found that a few groups really connect with what we're doing:

• Gym-goers and active folks looking for a high-protein snack that isn't another bland protein bar.
• Parents who want to give their kids something crunchy without the guilt trip.
• Muslim families who are tired of flipping every packet over to check for pork-derived ingredients.
• Sushi lovers who appreciate good tuna in any format.

Try the Crunch for Yourself

Now that you know what toro tuna really means — and why we chose the name — the only thing left is to taste it. Grab a bag of Toro Chips, tear it open, and see if 70% wild-caught tuna crunch lives up to the hype. We think it will.

Shop Toro Chips today at chippity.co and discover Singapore's crunchiest fish snack.