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Piquant, sesame crusted, pan seared Ahi tuna served over a bed of crisp zucchini noodles loaded with fresh veggies, bright herbs, and finished with a smooth Asian flavored dressing.  Ready, from prep to finish, in 20 minutes or less, this salad is perfect for lunch, dinner or summer entertaining!

Easy Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad

Hellllllllooo, friends!

⬆️ I Said that in my very best Mrs. Doubtfire voice.

You can hear it right?

Yes!

No?

Maybe so!?

In case you have zero clue what I’m talking about peep THIS.

Don’t worry, I’m not rocking cake on my face… well, not currently at least.  😜

Anywho, before we get to today’s recipe I wanted to clear something up really quickly since there seems to be some confusion concerning my last two posts.

Overhead shot of ingredients to make Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna and Thai Zucchini Salad

If you are a dedicated, loyal follower of NSN (Hey there!  I 💓 you!), then you might remember me saying a week ago we moved.

And then you may remember on Thursday I updated an old post.  And that post ALSO happened to say we moved.

Well, I kept the actual WRITTEN words in that updated post on Thursday the same.  Meaning, those words were written TWO years ago.  And it just so happens that 2 years ago we also moved!  Crazy coincidence, right?

I didn’t mean to cause pandemonium in the streets and mass confusion on the interwebs!

So let me break it down.

TWO YEARS AGO – Boy and I moved to NC.

TWO WEEKS AGO – Boy and I moved into our forever (until retirement) home.  (<– Details still to come)

Does that make sense?

Feel free to leave a comment below if you need extra special attention and clarification.

Whew.  Now that we have THAT cleared up, let’s eat.  I’m famished.

Angled shot of a white plate of Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad; with a small bowl of Asian Dressing, lime wedges, purple linen and black chopsticks in the background Angled, up-close shot of rare, spicy sesame crusted, pan seared tuna slices over a bed of Thai zucchini noodles

Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad

AKA Thai’d Tuna Salad

Thinly sliced, pan seared, luscious, mild tuna coated with a piquant, fragrant mix of seasonings and sesame seeds.

Lovingly arranged and served over an abundance of delicate, crisp zucchini noodles loaded with fresh veggies, bright herbs, spicy sliced chiles and crunchy peanuts.

Finished with a generous drizzle of a light, silky, smooth Asian flavored dressing.

This salad is fresh and healthy, yet jam packed flavor AND healthy noms.  (READ: it’s fantastically figure friendly.  Because, hello beach body goals, I’m still looking at you).

PLUS it is suuuuper simple and fast to throw together (25 minutes or less).

AAAAND, it is also elegant enough for entertaining (I mean, just LOOK at all the fresh and fabulous colors).

Essentially, this salad is straight 💯 and BEGGING to be devoured.

Overhead, up-close shot of rare, pan seared, spicy sesame crusted ahi tuna slices over a bed of Thai zucchini noodles with lime slices in the background Overhead shot of rare, pan seared, spicy sesame crusted ahi tuna slices on a bed of zucchini noodles with black chopsticks intertwined in the vegetable noodles

Recipe Notes:

  1.  When consuming raw (or quickly seared) fish, it is VERY important to purchase your fish from a trusted, reputable source.  Make sure you are buying fish that is safe for raw consumption and has been handled/stored properly.
  2. If you like your tuna quickly seared and rare, I recommend cooking the tuna for about 1 minute per side.  If you like your tuna medium-rare, bump the cooking time up to about 2 – 2 ½ minutes per side.
  3. I used a mixture of both black and white sesame seeds to encrust my tuna.  You can use just black or white, or a mixture of both.
  4. The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in a tight sealed container, or jar, in the refrigerator.  Make sure you vigorously shake or whisk the dressing before serving.
  5. If you aren’t a fan of raw zucchini noodles, you can quickly sauté them as indicated in step 4 of the recipe.  Make sure you cook the “noodles” until JUST cooked through and al dente.  Also, do NOT season the zucchini noodles in advance of cooking or they will get watery!

Angled shot of Asian dressing being poured over rare, pan seared, spicy sesame crusted tuna slices on a bed of Thai zucchini noodles with black chopsticks and lime wedges in the background Angled shot of black chopsticks picking up a slice of rare, pan seared, spicy sesame crusted tuna off a white plate of Thai zucchini noodles topped with a sliced filet of sesame crusted tuna

Quick, easy, healthy AND delicious, this Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad is perfect for lunch, dinner and entertaining.  Print the recipe and get this in your life.  Pronto.  I pinkie-promise you are going to love it!

Until Thursday, friends, cheers – to tasty Thai tuna… and alluring alliteration.  😉

-XOXO-

Cheyanne

 

5 from 6 votes
Print
Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
2 mins
Total Time
17 mins
 
Piquant, sesame crusted ahi tuna served over a bed of crisp zucchini noodles loaded with fresh veggies, bright herbs, and finished with a smooth Asian flavored dressing. Ready, from prep to finish, in 20 minutes or less, this salad is perfect for lunch, dinner or entertaining!
Course: Entertaining, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: Asian, Thai
Servings: 4
Calories: 225 kcal
Author: Cheyanne Bany
Ingredients
Seared Tuna:
  • 1 8-10 ounce Tuna Steak (Ahi, Yellowfin or Sashimi)*
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • ½ tsp Ground Coriander
  • ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
  • 3 TBS Sesame Seeds – mix of both black and white
  • Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt and Ground Pepper to taste
Salad:
  • 3 Large Zucchinis – ends trimmed and spiralized
  • 1 Large Carrot – julienned
  • ½ small Red Onion – thinly sliced
  • ¼ Cup Cilantro Leaves
  • 2 Scallions – thinly sliced
  • 1 Red Thai Chile - minced
  • ¼ Cup unsalted dry Roasted Peanuts – coarsely chopped
Dressing:
  • 1 small Lime – juiced (about 2 TBS)
  • 2 TBS Soy Sauce
  • 1 TBS Sesame Oil ,plus more for pan
  • 1 TBS Vegetable Oil
  • 1 TBS Light Brown Sugar packed
  • 1 tsp Ginger – grated
  • 1 clove Garlic – minced
  • ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Optional Add-Ins and Garnishes: Micro Greens, Shredded Red Cabbage, Sliced Cucumber, Sliced Avocado, Spring Lettuce Mix, Sliced Mango
    Instructions
    1. Make the Dressing: In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
    2. For the Tuna: Season the tuna steak on all sides with chili powder, coriander, ginger, salt and pepper. Place the sesame seeds on a plate and add the tuna, gently pressing to adhere the seeds and turning to fully coat.
    3. Heat a good drizzle both olive and sesame oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tuna and sear, about 30 seconds – 1 minute on each side depending on how cooked through you would like it. (The white sesame seeds should be slightly golden, but the inside of the tuna should be rare.) Transfer the tuna to a clean cutting board and let rest for a minute. Cut the tuna into ¼’’ thick slices.
    4. Optional: Return the sauté pan to the stove.  Add the zucchini noodles and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Cook for 3 minutes, or until warmed and al dente. Remove to bowl.
    5. To serve: Add zucchini noodles, carrot, onion, greens, cilantro, scallions and Thai chile to a bowl. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Arrange salad on plates and top with sliced tuna. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve with remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!
    Recipe Notes

    1. When consuming raw (or quickly seared) fish, it is VERY important to purchase your fish from a trusted, reputable source. Make sure you are buying fish that is safe for raw consumption and has been handled/stored properly.

    2. If you like your tuna quickly seared and rare, I recommend cooking the tuna for about 1 minute per side. If you like your tuna medium-rare, bump the cooking time up to about 2 – 2 ½ minutes per side.

    3. I used a mixture of both black and white sesame seeds to encrust my tuna. You can use just black or white, or a mixture of both.

    4. The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance, and stored in a tight sealed container or jar in the refrigerator. Make sure you vigorously shake or whisk the dressing before serving.

    5. If you aren’t a fan of raw zucchini noodles, you can quickly sauté them as indicated in step 4 of the recipe.  Make sure you cook the "noodles" until JUST cooked through and al dente.  Also, do NOT season the zucchini noodles in advance of cooking or they will get watery!

    Nutrition Facts
    Spicy Sesame Crusted Tuna with Thai Zucchini Salad
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 225 Calories from Fat 135
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 15g 23%
    Saturated Fat 4g 20%
    Sodium 612mg 26%
    Potassium 831mg 24%
    Total Carbohydrates 17g 6%
    Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
    Sugars 10g
    Protein 7g 14%
    Vitamin A 76.4%
    Vitamin C 56.3%
    Calcium 12%
    Iron 14.2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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