Seared ahi tuna is a quick, easy, and healthy meal. Marinated with soy sauce, ginger, sesame, and scallions, this fish steak is cooked medium rare for less than 4 minutes. Serve with Jasmin rice, salad, and veggies for a complete meal.
Table of Content
Tuna and salmon are two very popular fish in our home. We love them sashimi-style, in a poke bowl, or as lightly seared steaks. The best part about both these fish is that they need very little cooking.
Why make this ahi tuna recipe?
- The recipe is very simple and easy with few ingredients easy to find sushi-grade fish.
- The cooking time is less than 6 minutes which is perfect seared on the outside still red on the inside.
- You can serve it over rice, noodles, or alongside a salad.
- It is very healthy and perfect for a weekday or weekend dinners.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Tuna - Since we eat this tuna almost raw, it is very important to buy sashimi grade tuna from a local grocery store but make sure it is a trustworthy source. Two types of tuna are most commonly used - the yellowfin and bigeye. Bigeye tuna has a rich, buttery taste with a smooth texture, while yellowfin tuna has a mild flavor and firmer texture. The bluefin tuna is similar to flavor and texture of the yellowfin but more expensive and rare to come by.
- Mirin - This is a Japanese sweet sauce. You can easily replace it with maple syrup or honey.
- Soy sauce - I prefer to use low-sodium soy sauce so the tuna is not too salty. And if you have regular soy sauce, use it but don't add any more salt for seasoning until you taste it.
- Rice vinegar - This is Japanese rice vinegar. You can also use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Sesame oil - Adds a nice Asian flavor to the dish. And while you can certainly omit it, I highly recommend it. If not you can use a few tablespoons of olive oil too.
How to make ahi tuna steak recipe
- In a small bowl with whisk combine all the tuna steak marinade ingredients - soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, sliced ginger & garlic, scallions, and chilly flakes.
Pro tip - Use glass or plastic, never metal when marinating. Otherwise, the acid ingredients in the marinade can react with the metal.
- Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn them over a few times to coat well. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes up to an hour.
Pro tip - You can marinate the tuna for up to 3 hours in the fridge. - Sear tuna steaks - Heat a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let the pan become very hot. Place the two tuna steaks in the skillet. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Pro tip - The pan must be smoking hot. This will give a nice sear and color on the tuna.
- Cook the steak for 1 to 1 ½ minute on each side (medium-rare)
Pro tip - You can do up to 2 minutes on each side if you like it less rare. I would not recommend more than 2 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Then, slice and garnish with chopped scallions. Drizzle with lime juice.
- Serve with plain jasmine rice, a side salad, and a vegetable side dish for a complete meal.
More fish and seafood recipes
- Sesame Tuna Steak Recipe
- Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl or Salmon Poke Bowl
- Best Tuna Patties or Tuna Potato Patties (canned tuna)
- Recipe for Baked Salmon
- Easy Honey Garlic Salmon (20 mins)
- Garlic Butter Salmon (20 mins)
- Honey Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry or Skillet Shrimp with Rice
- Thai Shrimp soup
- See all fish and seafoon recipe
Frequently asked questions
It is best to prepare and serve this tuna fresh. But, leftovers do keep well in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Since the tuna is rare (almost raw) on the inside I do not recommend leaving it longer than 24 hours.
Ahi tuna is also known as yellowfin tuna. It is always best to buy fresh, sushi-grade ahi tuna when making dishes such as this lightly seared. As you can see my tuna is rare, almost raw on the inside. The disadvantage of buying lower-grade tuna with such recipes is, of course, food safety but also that it will taste very fishy.
My kids love this over Jasmine rice with a side salad and some veggies. I enjoy it with cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal. My favorite salad to serve with this is Avocado Salad, Asian Salad Recipe. For the sides, I like to serve, roasted cauliflower, Sesame Green Beans, Oven-Baked Carrot Sticks
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Seared Ahi Tuna Steak Recipe
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 2 (8 oz) (450 g) Ahi Tuna steaks ((about ¾ to 1-inch thick steaks) )
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
Tuna steak marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Mirin ((or honey) )
- 2 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon Fresh ginger (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon Fresh garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoon Scallions ((green onions) )
- 1 tablespoon Chily flakes (or ½ teaspoon cayenne powder)
Instructions
- In a small bowl - combine all the tuna steak marinade ingredients - soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin, sesame oil, sliced ginger & garlic, scallions, and chilly flakes.Pro tip - Use glass or plastic, never metal when marinating. Otherwise, the acid ingredients in the marinade can react with the metal.
- Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn them over a few times to coat well. Leave to marinate for 15 minutes up to an hour. Pro tip - You can marinate the tuna for up to 3 hours in the fridge.
- Sear tuna steaks - Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let the pan become very hot. Place the two tuna steaks in the skillet. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Pro tip - The pan must be smoking hot this will give a nice sear and color on the tuna.
- Cook the steak for 1 to 1 ½ minutes on each side. (medium-rare) Pro tip - You can do up to 2 minutes on each side if you like it less rare. I would not recommend more than 2 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Then, slice and garnish with chopped scallions.
- Serve with plain jasmine rice, a side salad, and a vegetable side dish for a complete meal.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Colleen
I have never attempted to do a seared ahi tuna steak myself, although we do love having it at restaurants. Thanks to your detailed instructions, it turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Veena Azmanov
Happy you enjoyed this recipe, Colleen. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Hayley Dhanecha
This ahi tuna steak looks so inviting, loving the marinade you have made, all the spices, soy sauce, and spring onion.
Marisa
This is exactly how we make our tuna -- a quick sear is all that's necessary. I haven't tried your marinade so that will be how we fix our tuna the next time. We love that sweet/salty taste of those ingredients. Can't wait.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, I am happy you like this marinade. We love it.