Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe
This Sesame-Crusted Tuna recipe delivers incredible flavor with minimal effort, making it a dish you’ll want to prepare again and again. You’ll never make fresh Ahi Tuna a different way ever again. It turns out perfect every time. Elegant enough for entertaining yet simple enough for a weeknight dinner, this recipe is guaranteed to impress your family and friends.
Tell Us About This Sesame-Crusted Tuna
Our Sesame-Crusted Tuna recipe is incredibly easy to prepare, and it delivers restaurant-quality results every time. The secret lies in the marinade, and it is made with only 4 pantry ingredients – which is the reason this seared tuna is so easy to make and serve.
After a quick marinate, the tuna is seared to perfection, then rolled in sesame seeds, creating a crisp, flavorful crust while keeping the center rare, tender, and buttery. It’s so good, it is DIVINE – every time.
Best of all, this recipe is elegant enough for entertaining guests. You can easily prep the tuna steaks, wrap and chill, then sear them when guests arrive and serve.
Serve it as an appetizer at dinner, or over a green salad for lunch. Sesame-crusted tuna is simple and delicious; everyone will fall in love with this recipe.
If you love Ahi Tuna recipes, be sure to try our Sicilian recipe for Spaghetti with Fresh Tuna, it is amazing – to say the least. And, for grilling, don’t miss our Grilled Sesame-Ginger Tuna Kabobs; both are simple and easy as our Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe.
Important Recipe Tips for Success:
- Highly recommend only fresh tuna steaks. Not frozen.
- Use a Stopwatch: Always use a stopwatch with your cell phone or your Apple Watch for assistance. This way, you won’t over-sear the tuna steaks, and they will turn out perfectly.
- Preheat Skillet: Always remember to preheat your cast-iron skillet on the grill before searing your tuna steaks.
- Never-Ever Touch the Hot Cast-Iron Skillet. After grilling the marinated tuna steaks, turn off the grill and leave the skillet alone to cool on its own.
- When Serving: After you slice each tuna steak, you can leave it on your cutting board and serve it for a more rustic appearance. Or, you can transfer them to a serving platter or plate and garnish with some fresh herbs around it for a more elegant appearance.
Our Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe
Once the tuna steaks are marinated, the rest comes easy. Plus, these steaks are seared in a cast-iron skillet and on an outdoor grill. And they turn out perfect every time. The only thing you need to remember is that you have to watch the time.
Ingredients You Will Need:
For our Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Fresh Tuna Steaks – each steak is about 1 pound.
- Fresh Garlic (missing from photo below) – you will need about 5 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Soy Sauce
- Sesame Seed Oil
- Honey (missing from photo below) – you will need about 2 tablespoons for the marinade.
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Cooking Spray Avocado Oil – to spray your skillet.
How to Make Sesame-Crusted Tuna?
If this is your first time making sesame-crusted tuna, no worries; it is relatively easy. First, gather all your ingredients. Plus, our full printable recipe card is located at the bottom. But let’s go over the steps so you can understand what’s involved before you start.
1. Prepare the Marinade: In a large mixing bowl, stir together 6 diced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of sesame seed oil, and 2 tablespoons of honey.
2. Marinate the Tuna Steaks: Gently place the tuna steaks into the bowl with the marinade, and allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours. QUICK NOTE: If longer than 30 minutes, cover with clear wrap and keep the tuna steaks chilled. Then, remove the bowl from the fridge and leave it on the counter for at least 30 minutes before searing.
3. Prepare the Sesame Seeds: Meanwhile, prepare a dish with a mixture of sesame seeds, about 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds, and 2 tablespoons of the toasted sesame seeds. Stir to combine; then set it nearby your cutting board.
4. Preheat the Cast-Iron Skillet: One important tip for making the perfect sesame-crusted tuna is to preheat your cast-iron skillet on the outside grill, closed, for at least 5 to 10 minutes, and with nothing on it.
5. Sear the Tuna Steaks: Once you preheat your skillet, you can open the grill and lightly spray some avocado oil onto the hot skillet. Carefully place the tuna steaks into the skillet. (Do not touch the skillet) Close the cover of the grill, and set your timer immediately to 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Next, open the cover of the grill and use a large barbecue spatula to grab the tuna steaks and flip them over to the other side, one at a time. Close the lid again, and set the timer to 35 to 40 seconds. Remove the steaks and transfer to a plate. DO NOT TOUCH THE SKILLET. Turn off your grill.
6. Dip Into Sesame Seeds Mixture: Take each seared Tuna Steak and dip both sides into the dish with the prepared sesame seeds. Press the seeds to coat both sides evenly.
7. Transfer & Slice: Transfer your seared sesame-crusted tuna steaks to your cutting board, and slice each tuna steak thinly on a diagonal. Then drizzle some soy sauce over them, and serve.
FAQ’s
- What do we do with the leftover marinade? After you marinated the tuna steaks, discard the marinade. Cannot be reused.
- Can we store leftovers? Yes, but only for 24 hours; transfer the leftovers to a sealed container and keep it chilled in your refrigerator. Ideal to serve it over a green salad for lunch the next day. But only one day. After that? Discard it.
- Can we freeze leftovers? Not recommended.
An Impressive Appetizer
Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe is quick and simple to make. You can marinate these tuna steaks ahead of time, then sear them when ready to serve. Serve them as an appetizer with our easy shrimp spaghetti to round out a delicious seafood dinner. Your family and friends will enjoy this sesame-seared tuna as much as my family does.
ENJOY!
Don’t forget, your comments help us! Tried our Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe? Let us know and leave a comment below, and don’t forget the stars! And, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 🙂
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
- Baked Flounder Filet Oreganata
- Flounder Fillets in Lemon Sauce
- Easy Baked Swordfish
- Baked Crusted Cod
- Easy Lemon-Dijon Baked Cod
Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe
Our Sesame-Crusted Tuna Recipe delivers incredible flavor with minimal effort, making it a dish you'll want to prepare again and again. You'll never make fresh Ahi Tuna a different way ever again. It turns out perfect every time. Elegant enough for entertaining yet simple enough for a weeknight dinner, this recipe is guaranteed to impress your family and friends.
Ingredients
- 2 raw Tuna Steaks (2 pounds, one pound each)
- 6 garlic cloves - diced
- 1/2 cup soy sauce, and extra for serving
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 cup sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the Marinade: In a mixing bowl, stir together 6 diced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of sesame seed oil, and 2 tablespoons of honey.
- Marinate the Tuna Steaks: Gently place the tuna steaks into the bowl with the marinade, and allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours. QUICK NOTE: If longer than 30 minutes, cover with clear wrap and keep the tuna steaks chilled. Then, remove the bowl from the fridge and leave it on the counter for at least 30 minutes before searing.
- Prepare the Sesame Seeds: Meanwhile, prepare a dish with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds and 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds. Set it nearby and grab your cutting board and place it on your counter.
- Preheat the Cast-Iron Skillet: One important tip for making the perfect sesame-crusted tuna is to preheat your cast-iron skillet on the outside grill, closed, for at least 5 to 10 minutes, with nothing on it.
- Sear the Tuna Steaks: Once you preheat your skillet, you can open the grill and lightly spray your skillet with some avocado oil. Then carefully place the raw tuna steaks into the skillet. Close the cover of the grill and set your timer immediately to 1+ 1/2 minutes. Open the cover of the grill and use a large barbecue spatula or kitchen tongs to grab the tuna steaks and flip them over to the other side, one at a time. Close the lid, and set the timer to 35 seconds. Use a spatula to remove the seared tuna steaks and transfer to a plate. DO NOT TOUCH THE SKILLET. Turn off your grill.
- Dip Into Sesame Seeds Mixture: Take each seared Tuna Steak and dip both sides into the dish with the prepared sesame seeds. Press the seeds on both sides.
- Transfer & Slice: Transfer your seared sesame-crusted tuna steaks to your cutting board, and slice each tuna steak thinly on a diagonal. Then drizzle some soy sauce over them, and serve.
Notes
After you cover the seared tuna with sesame seeds, it's best to slice it soon after. The longer the seared tuna sits, the more it will continue to cook internally, resulting in medium-rare rather than rare.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 400Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gFiber: 6.1gSugar: 16gProtein: 19.4g
Happy & Healthy Cooking! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by… by anna and liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!
FREE EMAIL BONUS
Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
Tips & recipes for delicious meals . . . no matter your skill level!