Seared Tuna Steak

mayo 12, 2025

2

This completely seared tuna steak is right as a simple weeknight dinner—it’s considered one of my favourite protein-packed pescatarian recipes! Listed here are my skilled ideas for cooking this tasty fish and prime concepts for methods to serve it.

Tuna steak is a kind of magical proteins that don’t style such as you’d anticipate. When cooked effectively, it tastes much less like fish and extra like a bit of hen or steak!

Sear up a steak and it’s considered one of my favourite meals—excessive in protein, cooks in underneath 5 minutes, and surprisingly gourmand. Its meaty, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture and well-seasoned exterior makes it excellent for every little thing from weeknight dinners to impressing visitors at a cocktail party.

This tuna steak recipe is excellent for pescatarians, tuna followers, or house cooks on the lookout for a fast meal huge on recent, high-quality components. In reality, I like this recipe a lot that Alex and I included a rendition of it in our A Couple Cooks Cookbook, served with this chimichurri sauce!

Shopping for High quality Tuna Steaks

This recipe begins with an ideal piece of fish. Ahi tuna, often known as yellowfin tuna or bigeye tuna, is a gentle, lean fish usually utilized in sushi, poke bowls, or cooked uncommon or medium-rare. It’s offered as thick steaks on the grocery retailer, not skinny fillets like different kinds of fish.

Right here’s what to search for when shopping for tuna steaks:

Contemplate sushi or sashimi grade. There are not any particular rules across the label “sushi-grade,” but it surely means the fish is high-quality and secure to be eaten uncooked.
Test the fish counter. You must be capable of discover ahi tuna steaks at your native grocery counter. “Common” tuna typically refers back to the canned, albacore, or skipjack kinds of tuna. (Bluefin tuna is the rarest and most costly, but it surely’s not needed right here.)
Search for frozen steaks. These may be even more energizing than recent tuna in the event that they’re flash frozen proper once they’re caught. You’ll simply must thaw them within the fridge the evening earlier than.
Discover wild-caught fish. Wild-caught fish is normally a extra sustainable selection, however high quality choices can be found in well-regulated farms. See the Seafood Watch Client Information.

Greatest Option to Cook dinner and Sear

This seared tuna steak takes simply 2 to 4 minutes, so that you gained’t need to wander too far-off out of your skillet. Listed here are the fundamental steps for this one (or you’ll be able to go forward and soar proper to the recipe):

Step 1: Permit steaks to come back to room temperature. (Give them about 20 minutes.) That is essential. In any other case, the within will stay chilly whereas the surface is cooked.

Step 2: Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. We use about ¾ teaspoon for each 8 ounces.

Step 3: Warmth oil in a non-stick or forged iron skillet over medium-high warmth and cook dinner the steaks for 1 to 2 minutes per facet. They need to be browned on the surface however uncommon on the within.

The interior temperature of your tuna steaks needs to be 130°F for medium-rare. You’ll be able to measure the temperature by inserting a meals thermometer into the thickest a part of the steak. Permit your steaks to relaxation for two minutes earlier than slicing them into strips.

In the event you’re serving ahi tuna to kids or pregnant girls, you gained’t need the within uncooked. In these situations, cook dinner your steaks to medium; I promise they’ll be simply as meaty and scrumptious! To attain a medium doneness, cook dinner to an inside temperature round 135°F. It’s nonetheless not a pan-fried dish, however your steaks will not be pink on the within.

Tried, Tasted, and 5-Star Authorised

“Turned out nice! I regarded up your tuna steak recipe primarily for the cooking directions and ideas to ensure I didn’t destroy our pretty wild caught fish. I used a light-weight mix of Outdated Bay seasoning, lemon pepper, and sea salt. Moist, tender, flavorful, not overcooked. The entire household liked it!”

– Pamela M.

Serve With Sauces and Sides

I like my garlic herb sauce with recent herbs and capers for any tuna steak recipe, but it surely actually will depend on what you’re going for in your remaining dish. Listed here are just a few extra tasty sauces for seared tuna:

Hoisin: For Asian-style flavors, strive savory hoisin sauce for dipping. It’s candy and savory for the proper mix of that elusive umami.
Ponzu: This Japanese dipping sauce, made with soy sauce and citrus juice, is a pleasant distinction to the tuna’s meaty taste.
Teriyaki: You’ll be able to decide up a bottle on the grocery retailer, however I even have a simple recipe for selfmade teriyaki.

As for sides, you’ll be able to pair ahi tuna steaks with absolutely anything to show them into a whole, wholesome dinner. Listed here are just a few concepts for fast sides that may be made within the time it takes to relaxation and cook dinner your steaks:

Grains: Use no matter grain you want, resembling quinoa or farro. You would additionally add rice to make a spin-off model of a poke bowl.
Salads: Add some additional protein with a white bean salad or maintain it recent and easy with a romaine lettuce salad.
Pastas: Serve your tuna on a mattress of fluffy couscous or orzo with lemon juice for some acidity in your dish.
Veggies: For a stability of textures, I like to stay to crunchy veggies like snow peas or sautéed broccoli.

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Tuna Steak

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Cooking tuna steaks isn’t sophisticated, but it surely does require some consideration to element. Right here’s how I get a tremendous sear and unimaginable taste.

Creator: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook dinner Time: 5 minutes
Whole Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 4-ounce servings
Class: Fish
Technique: Seared

Elements

2 8-oz ahi tuna steaks
½ tablespoon impartial oil
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly floor black pepper, to style

Cook dinner Mode

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Directions

Convey the tuna steaks to room temperature by letting them sit for no less than 20 minutes. Pat the tuna dry.
Sprinkle the fish liberally with the kosher salt and recent floor black pepper on each side.
Warmth the oil in a medium skillet over medium-excessive warmth.
Add the tuna steaks and cook dinner 1-2 minutes per facet till frivolously browned on the surface however nonetheless uncommon on the within.
Cool for two minutes, then slice the tuna towards the grain into ½-inch slices.
Serve instantly, with a sauce if desired.

Notes

A impartial oil is healthier than butter for searing tuna steaks as a result of it will probably deal with greater warmth with out burning. Searing is finest quick and scorching, so that you need oil with a excessive smoking level, like grapeseed or vegetable oil. Olive oil is ok, but it surely provides a little bit of a special taste profile to the dish.

Grilled tuna steak is simply as fast and scrumptious as a scorching pan. You’ll use the identical seasonings however can play with the smokiness when it’s time for sauces. I like my chimichurri sauce with cilantro or a pink pepper romesco for grilled fish recipes and summertime dinners.

This tuna recipe doesn’t name for a marinade, however you’ll be able to all the time add a fast marinade for additional taste. Preserve it brief. About 15-Half-hour in a soy-, citrus-, or sesame oil-based sauce is greater than sufficient for marinated, pan-seared tuna.

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FAQs

Can tuna steak be eaten uncooked?

Tuna steak can typically be eaten uncooked if labeled “sushi-grade” or “sashimi-grade.” Which means the vendor has deemed it suitable for eating uncooked as a result of it meets particular processing requirements.

You’ll discover uncooked tuna in pokes, tartares, and sashimi. In the event you’re not sure concerning the supply, you’ll be able to cook dinner your tuna right through.

How do you make a crusted tuna steak (e.g., sesame-crusted)?

To make a crusted tuna steak, coat your tuna with a sauce after patting it dry to assist your crust components stick. Sprinkle all sides of your tuna together with your crust combine, which usually contains sesame seeds, then press it down into each bit. Sear your steaks in the identical method from there.