Seared Sesame Crusted Tuna
Savor an oceanic symphony of gourmet flavors with my tantalizing Sesame-Crusted Tuna recipe! This melt-in-your-mouth recipe for seared tuna steaks encrusted with a delicate blend of toasted sesame seeds requires just 7 simple ingredients and only 25 minutes of prep time. Cheers for restaurant-quality eats in the comfort of your own home!
Equipment
- 1 Shallow Bowl - for mixing sesame crust ingredients
- 1 Small Bowl - for mixing the marinade ingredients
- 1 Cast Iron Skillet - for searing the sesame crusted tuna
- OPTIONAL 1 Small Bowl - for making the dipping sauce
Ingredients
For the Sesame Crust:
- 1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds – preferably a mix of black and white; untoasted
- 3/4 tsp Chili Powder
- scant ½ tsp Ground Coriander
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
- To Taste Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper
For Searing the Tuna:
- 8 to 12 ounce Ahi Tuna Steak – thawed if frozen (SEE NOTES)
- 1 TBS Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil – DIVIDED
- 1 TBS Peanut Oil
Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce:
- 1 small Scallion – thinly sliced; DIVIDED
- 2 1/2 TBS Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 TBS Plain Rice Vinegar
- 2 TBS Filtered Water
- 1 ¼ tsp Agave - or more to taste (sub: granulated sugar or honey)
- 1 1/4 tsp Grated Ginger
- heaping 1/4 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - or more to tate
Instructions
- Make Sesame Crust for Tuna: Add the sesame seeds, chili powder, coriander, ginger, scant 1 teaspoon salt, and heaping 1/8 teaspoon black pepper to a medium rimmed plate or large shallow bowl large enough to hold the tuna steak. Use a fork or small whisk to stir the ingredients together until well combined. Then set the plate or bowl aside.
- Prepare Tuna Steak: Place the ahi tuna onto a clean work surface and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Then, use a pastry brush and brush the soy mixture all over the tuna steak.
- Coat Tuna with Sesame Seed Mixture: Transfer the seasoned ahi tuna steak to the plate with the sesame seeds. Use your hands to press the tuna steak down into the sesame seed mixture. Then, flip the tuna over and repeat the process, pressing the tuna steak down into the sesame seeds.
- OPTIONAL - Make the Dipping Sauce: To a small bowl, add half the scallions, all the soy sauce, vinegar, water, agave, grated ginger, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper flakes. Season with a pinch of salt and then use a whisk to stir the ingredients together until well combined. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors to suit your personal tastebuds. Then, set the dipping sauce aside.
- Heat Skillet Until It’s Blazing Hot: Place a dry cast-iron skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Leave the skillet on the heat and let the pan heat up until it’s very hot, but not smoking.
- Sear Sesame Encrusted Tuna: Once the pan is hot, add all the peanut oil and the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil. Then carefully add the sesame tuna steak to the hot oil. Immediately, use the back of a fish spatula (or regular spatula if that’s all you have) to gently press down on the tuna. Sear tuna – undisturbed – for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Use your spatula to gently lift one corner of the tuna steak to check on the bottom. Once the bottom looks deeply golden in color, use tongs to carefully flip the tuna over to the other side. Continue to sear the tuna for 45 seconds to 1 ½ minutes, or until the bottom side is deeply golden in color.
- Rest Seared Tuna: Immediately remove the seared tuna from the pan and place onto a clean work surface. Let cool for at least 1 minute.
- Slice Sesame Tuna Steak: Using a sharp slicing knife, slice the tuna against the grain into long, 1/4-inch thick pieces.
- Serve Sesame Tuna with Dipping Sauce: Garnish the sesame crusted tuna with the remaining sliced green onions and serve with the dipping sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
- Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 15g Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 22mg Sodium: 175mg Potassium: 213mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 0.1g Vitamin A: 1388IU Vitamin C: 0.1mg Calcium: 99mg Iron: 2mg