Sesame Seared Tuna Steak
Sesame seared tuna steak is a tasty delicacy that’s actually really easy to make at home. You just need to buy the finest sushi-grade tuna available since you’ll be eating it rare.
We chose Ahi tuna because it’s more readily available at our local grocery store. And you’ll find black sesame seeds in the specialty Asian foods aisle, not the spice aisle, which is where the white seeds are kept. (Kind of confusing—we know!)
If you like your tuna cooked more, you can certainly keep it on the grill a tiny bit longer. But if you want it cooked through, you may as well save your money and crack open a can instead, as the longer it sits on the grill, the drier it becomes.
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Sesame Seared Tuna Steak Recipe
Ingredients
dipping sauce
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
tuna
- 1 1/2 lbs tuna steaks, fresh, 1" thick
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds, (black, white or both)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tsp oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dipping sauce and set aside. In a shallow dish, add sesame seeds and stir to mix if using black and white seeds.
- Season tuna lightly with salt and pepper and coat top and bottom of fish completely in sesame seeds, pressing to adhere.
- Place a heavy-bottomed skillet or grill pan over high heat and allow it to become scorching hot.
- Add just enough oil to skillet to coat the area that the fish will occupy. Place as many pieces of tuna in the pan as will comfortably fit, but do not overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if necessary.
- Cook tuna on first side for about 1 minute then flip and cook slightly longer than 1 minute on the second side. The white sesame seeds should become lightly golden brown and the fish will be cooked to rare stage.
- Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and carefully slice into ¼"-thick slices. Arrange the tuna on a platter or on individual plates. Serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side.