Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks in a fragrant soy sesame marinade, a quick and easy restaurant-style dinner recipe that is incredibly delicious and cooked to perfection. A fantastic gourmet dish for seafood lovers, these tuna steaks pair wonderfully well with a light salad of some vegetables.
If you are looking for a healthier dinner that delivers when it comes to taste and quality, seafood is always your best bet. These tuna steaks might not be quite a budget-friendly dish to serve, but they are definitely worth every single pence.
There are certain dishes that are best served at special occasions, when no expense is spared and the regular dinners simply won't cut it. I am thinking here a dinner date or a festive meal to impress your guests, or perhaps a birthday meal for that special someone.
Cooking tuna steaks might look intimidating, but it's actually a lot easier than you'd think. Just like a beef steak, the pinker the middle, the tastier the meat. Overcook it, and you simply won't get the same taste.
For these seared tuna steaks I opted for a quick Asian-style marinade bursting with fantastic flavours. Soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds, garlic, chilli flakes and honey are the perfect marinade ingredients for tuna.
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Ingredients used
- tuna steaks - I bought them from my local fishmonger's, but larger supermarkets will have them in the seafood aisle
- soy sauces - light soy sauce for flavour, dark soy sauce for colour and richness
- seasame oil and seeds - they add a delicate flavour to the marinade
- honey - it balances out the saltiness of the soy sauces
- garlic - it adds a lot of flavour to the marinade, I highly recommend using fresh garlic rather than granules
- chilli flakes - for a bit of a heat
- vegetable oil - for searing the tuna steaks
Easy swaps
This teriyaki-style marinade is incredibly flavourful and adds a great touch to the tuna steaks. However, you don't need to limit yourself to these ingredients only, but make use of whatever you have around.
If you have only regular soy sauce, you can't certainly use that instead of the light and dark soy sauces. Honey can be swapped for maple syrup, or ever regular or brown sugar.
The chilli flakes can be replaced with cayenne pepper or regular ground chilli peppers or fresh chillies. Or just omit them altogether if you prefer a mild touch.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- start by making the marinade: in a small bowl add the soy sauces, seasame oil and half of the sesame seeds, peeled and chopped garlic, honey and chilli flakes and mix well
- place the tuna steaks into a ziplock bag, pour over the marinade, zip the bag, and shake it well to coat the steaks into the marinade
- set aside for 30 minutes to allow the tuna steaks to marinate well
- heat up a griddle pan or just a regular pan, add a bit of vegetable oil, and add the tuna steak
- sear it for 1 1/ 2minute, then use a spatula to flip the tuna onto the other side
- sear it for a further 1 ½ minutes, then remove it from the pan and leave it to rest for 1 minute before serving
Expert tips
Heat up the griddle pan really well before you add the tuna steaks to be seared. The hotter the pan, the better results. Give it at least 2-3 minutes to heat up on a medium to high heat.
The steaks cook really fast, do not leave them to cook beyond the specified cooking time, of they won't be pink in the middle - don't worry, it's absolutely safe to consume tuna this way, and absolutely delicious too.
If you don't have a griddle pan, just use a regular frying pan or a grilling pan, the cooking time will not change.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely, although a good marinade, apart from adding tons of flavours to the steaks, also help them keep tender and juicy.
I opted to serve the tuna steaks with a simple spinach, tomato and cucumber salad, but you can also add some vegetables to the mix, or some simple carbs like rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, bulgur wheat, couscous or quinoa.
For excellent results, sear the steaks for 1 ½ minutes on each side, the outside will be nicely seared, while the inside is pink and tender.
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Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks
Ingredients
- 2 tuna steaks
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by making the marinade.
- In a small bowl, add the soy sauces, sesame oil, half of the sasame seeds, peeled and finely chopped garlic, honey and chilli flakes, and mix well.
- Transfer the tuna steaks to a ziplock bag, pour over the marinade, zip the bag well, and shake it well to coat the steaks in marinade.
- Set it aside for 30 minutes.
- Heat up the griddle pan over a medium to high heat, add the oil and place one tuna steak.
- Sear for 1 ½ minute, then use a flat spatula to flip it over the other side.
- Sear for another 1 ½ minute, then remove it from the heat and leave it to rest for 1 minute before serving.
- Repeat with the second tuna steak.
- Garnish with the remaining sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Heat up the griddle pan really well before you add the tuna steaks to be seared. The hotter the pan, the better results. Give it at least 2-3 minutes to heat up on a medium to high heat.
- The steaks cook really fast, do not leave them to cook beyond the specified cooking time, of they won't be pink in the middle - don't worry, it's absolutely safe to consume tuna this way, and absolutely delicious too.
- If you don't have a griddle pan, just use a regular frying pan or a grilling pan, the cooking time will not change.
Nutrition
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