I don’t think I need to go into all the health benefits of a great tuna steak. I love a good tuna steak just seared normally without any flair to it – but the addition of the sesame seeds gives it a great nutty Asian taste to it. When I’m at the grocery store, I usually swing by the seafood counter to see what’s on sale, and I’ll usually grab some tuna steaks if I see that they are on sale.
Gordon Ramsey gives us some great tips on searing Tuna here.
This is also a great solution for a quick dinner, as the tuna steaks barely take a minute or so on each side to sear up. It’s also really insanely easy. You really can’t mess the flavors up!
If your pan gets too hot, a great tip is to just add some room temp olive oil to bring the temp down. Ahi Tuna has very little fat, which is why it gets so dry if overcooked. I like to brush the tuna with some Tahini (which is basically ground up sesame seeds) to help the sesame seeds stick. You can also choose to marinate in a mix of soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, garlic and a little lemon juice.
You can find this recipe on our Weekly Meal Plan #2.
Seared Sesame Ahi Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Ahi Tuna Steaks (about an inch thick)
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbs Lime Juice
- 1 Tbs Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbs Freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 Cup Black and White Sesame Seeds (one or the other is fine too)
- 1 Tbs Tahini Sauce (optional)
- 2 Tbs Grapeseed Oil
- Salad Greens
Instructions
- In a gallon sized ziplock bag, add the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, and ginger.
- Add the tuna steaks to the bag and marinate for at least 3 hours.
- When ready to cook, pour the sesame seeds onto a plate. Remove the tuna steaks from the bag and brush with the tahini.
- Coat the tuna steaks on all sides with the sesame seeds.
- Add the Grapeseed oil (enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan). Heat grapeseed oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Do not let the oil get hot to the point where it starts smoking or it will burn the sesame seeds before cooking the fish.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, tilting the pan and using a spoon to redistribute the oil on top of the fish as it cooks. Flip and cook 2 minutes.
- Prepare your salad base using any salad greens - spinach, field mix, whatever you prefer. Add whatever salad toppings you like - tomatoes, toasted cashews, avocado, cucumbers, etc. This is especially tasty with a sesame ginger salad dressing.