Seared tuna steak is one of our go-to, super-fast weeknight dinners. This recipe is quick and easy, yet elegant enough for a special dinner. One of my favorite tuna steak recipes is this one, Ginger Sesame Tuna Steak. A simple marinade of soy sauce, freshly grated ginger, wasabi, and sesame oil gives the tuna a remarkable depth of flavor and only needs a few minutes to marinate. I always serve this with my Teriyaki Green Beans recipe and garnish my sesame tuna steaks with pickled ginger. These two recipes go great together and are on the table in under 30-minutes.
To sear tuna steaks, you need a blistering hot cast iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed nonstick pans. I let the dry skillet heat up over high heat for at least 5 minutes before I add the tuna steaks. You need the skillet as hot as possible because the tuna steak will sear in only 60-seconds per side.
For this ginger sesame tuna steak recipe, I press toasted sesame seeds to the tuna steak just prior to searing. The crunchy seeds and the sesame oil have great flavor and are very complimentary to the grated ginger. When you make this sesame tuna steak recipe, I highly recommend you try my Teriyaki green beans, quickly pan-fried with Teryaki sauce, they’re pretty amazing. And for cocktails, try my Japanese Dirty Martini.
Sesame tuna steak with Teriyaki green beans
Ginger Sesame Tuna Steak Ingredients
- Tuna Steak: I recommend that you buy previously frozen tuna steaks when serving rare tuna. Eating raw or rare tuna has its risks, and the quick cooking time for seared tuna isn’t sufficient to kill all of the bacteria or parasites that fish can carry. The only thing that kills the bacteria and parasites is temperature, either extreme cold or heat. So, for your safety, only use the tuna that you have purchased from a reputable vendor.
- Sesame Oil: Sesame oil has a nutty aroma and taste. It is used sparingly, a little goes a long way to flavor this marinade.
- Wasabi: Genuine wasabi is very rare, the stuff we buy in the grocery store is mainly horseradish and food coloring. It has a potent, pungent flavor and will definitely take your breath away. A great addition to this tuna steak marinade.
- Fresh Ginger: Grated fresh ginger is pungent, spicy, peppery, and sweet. It is a great compliment to the wasabi, soy sauce, and seared tuna steak. This combo is why sushi is as addictive as it is, and a great addition to the tuna steak marinade.
- Soy Sauce: Salty and a little sweet with a complicated umami flavor. It is the base of the marinade and acts as a vehicle to carry all the flavors of the other ingredients.
Sesame tuna steak is a beautiful pink color in the middle
This tuna steak recipe is very easy and a great introduction to Japanese-style cooking.
Here is my recipe for Ginger Sesame Tuna Steak:
Ginger Sesame Tuna Steak
Ingredients
Marinade
- 12 Ounces Tuna Steak 2-tuna steaks
- 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Wasabi
- 2 Teaspoons Fresh Ginger Finely grated
- 3 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce Regular soy sauce works well too
For Searing
- 3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds Toasted for 1 minute in a dry skillet
- 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
Instructions
- Heat a heavy-bottomed cast-iron or non-stick skillet over very high heat until blistering hot
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the tuna steaks. Let marinate approximately 10-minutes
- Remove the tuna from the marinade and sprinkle both sides with sesame seeds
- Add canola oil to the hot skillet and spread it evenly across the bottom. Carefully place the tuna steaks in the pan. and sear for 60-seconds on each side.
- Remove the tuna and slice it on the bias into very thin strips. Serve with additional wasabi and pickled ginger and my Teriyaki green beans.
Nutrition
A few simple ingredients are all you need to make delicious sesame tuna steaks at home.
