Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks
I promise you’ll impress your friends, your husband, your wife, even yourself with these professionally looking Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks. They’re incredibly simple and in under ten minutes (that includes making the dipping sauce!!!!) you’ll be ready to plate perfectly seared tuna steaks. Serve with the dipping sauce and alongside edamame, a simple salad or some steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Tuna steaks
- 2 Ahi (Yellowfin) tuna steaks, about 6 oz. and 1-inch thick
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup sesame seeds (black, white or combination)
- 1 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic, miced
Instructions
- Make the dipping sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Season both sides of the tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Place HALF the sesame seeds on a shallow plate. Dredge one steak in the sesame seeds, pressing gently to adhere; coat the entire piece, including the sides. Don’t be afraid to use your hands and sprinkle and spread out the seeds. I like to coat it super well since a bunch of seeds will fall off in the cooking process. Transfer the coated tuna to a clean plate. Add the rest of the sesame seeds to the plate and coat the second tuna steak.
- Warm oil on high heat in a large skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron pan (I use a cast-iron pan). You don’t want to over crowd the pan, so if necessary, cook one steak at a time. You want the oil to be nice and smoking hot so be patient. The steaks should sizzle when they touch the pan; if they don’t remove them immediately and wait a little bit longer for the oil to get hot. Cook steaks for 1 minute (set a timer!!!!) pressing down gently to ensure that the whole steak is touching the pan. Flip and cook for 1 minute (set a timer again!!!!) on the other side. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and cut into ¼ inch thick slices. Plate (I use a large spatula to scoop up all the slices at once) and serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
- Cooking time is for 1-inch tuna steak, seared on the outside, raw on the inside. If your steaks are thicker, or you prefer your tuna a little less rare, cook for longer on each side. Keep in mind that cook time will depend on your burner, if the steaks have just come out of the fridge or are room temperature, etc. Watch them closely as they sear and set a timer!
- You could also cook your tuna steaks on a very hot grill using the same method.