Teriyaki Tuna - A Delicious Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Recipe (2024)

There are multiple tuna recipes out there, but this one will give you spice, crunch and the delicious flavor of teriyaki and the heat of volcano sauce. What more can you ask for?!

Teriyaki Tuna - A Delicious Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Recipe (1)

What's In This Article

Teriyaki Tuna

As a quick and easy meal, this sesame crusted tuna can be made any day of the week. The prep is literally just 10 minutes and cook time is only 3-4 minutes.

My husband and I love tuna steaks and often struggle with new ways to prepare them. Sure you can sear them with a little sesame oil and serve them with a side of soy sauce for a quick meal, but that gets boring.

Now teriyaki tuna is one of the most frequent tuna recipes in my house. It is just too easy to make and is accompanied with so flavor!

Teriyaki & Volcano Sauce

For this creation I wanted to combine sweet with spicy. I used a teriyaki glaze traditionally used for salmon paired with a creamy volcano sauce inspired by spicy tuna sushi.

Lynn says: “OH.MY.HEAVENS! This is delicious. We have several Tuna lovers in the family, so this is a welcomed dish. Thanks for the recipe.”

Sesame seeds offer a crunchy contrast in texture and additional flavor. You can use traditional pale tan kind, black sesame seeds or a combination of both.

Honestly, there isn’t a reason to season the tuna beyond that.

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Health Benefits of Tuna

Fish is good for you and ahi tuna is great for certain thing. It’s high in protein, vitamin D, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals.

Ahi tuna has some great health benefits but like everything else you should limit how much you consume it. It has a higher mercury level than other kinds of tuna so limiting how much you eat in a month is a good idea.

Justine says: “This was actually so good! Simple to make and had great flavor!”

Ingredients

Most of these ingredients are pretty simple. They can all be found at your local grocery store.

  • Teriyaki sauce– It’s super easy to just buy a bottle at your local grocery store, but you can also make homemade teriyaki sauce if you’re feeling fancy.
  • Ahi tuna steaks – You can usually walk up to the meat and seafood counter at you grocery store and they can cut some for you.
  • Sesame seeds– I like to use a combination of white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds. They provide a nice contrast and look pretty too.
  • Vegetable oil– I like to use vegetable oil to sear tuna steaks, but you could also use olive oil or canola oil if you’d prefer to.
  • Mayonnaise– This will be the base for our volcano sauce. You can certainly use store bought mayo, or you could even make your own at home.
  • Chili garlic sauce– This sauce is similar to sriracha, it’s just slightly thicker and chunkier in texture. You can find it down the international aisle.
  • Sweetened condensed milk– This is what gives our volcano sauce it’s creamy texture.
  • Sugar– In addition to the sweetness from the condensed milk, we need a little more. And plain white sugar will do just fine. You could also use brown sugar for a different flavor.
  • Scallions– Also known as green onions, we use these as a garnish. I like the color contrast and flavor they add, but you can certainly leave them off if you’d like to. Cut them diagonally to make them extra fancy.
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How to Make Teriyaki Tuna

Although sometimes intimidating to make at home, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy these tuna steaks are to make at home.

  1. Make volcano sauce.Using a small food processor or immersion blender, combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Add chili garlic sauce slowly until you reached your desired heat.
  2. Coat tuna steaks in sesame seeds.Combine white and black sesame seeds in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge both sides of the tuna steaks in sesame seeds. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil in pan.Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or large frying pan over high heat.
  4. Sear tuna steaks.When vegetable oil is hot, place tuna steaks in the pan, cover. Cook on each side depending on desired temperature. It all depends on the thickness of your tuna steak.
  5. Top with teriyaki sauce.Remove tuna steaks from frying pan/cast iron skillet. Plate and top with teriyaki glaze.
  6. Add volcano sauce.There are two choices for the volcano sauce. You can put a dollop on the side, allowing individuals to dip according to their tastes OR you can put the volcano sauce into an airtight plastic bag and cut a small hole on one bottom corner and then pipe the sauce onto teriyaki tuna steaks.
  7. Add garnish.Garnish with scallions.

How to Serve Teriyaki Tuna

The serving options for this tuna recipe are really endless! I like to serve mine with a starch like white rice or egg noodles. They also pair really well with the teriyaki sauce.

If you’d like to add some veggies to your meal, saute some bell pepper and onion in vegetable oil and teriyaki sauce. You can also serve with a fabulous side dish likeBaby Bok Choy.

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Tips and Tricks

While each tuna recipe will be slightly different, here are some tips and tricks to ensure you’re cooking your tuna properly.

  • Wash your tuna steaks before you start with clean water to get off all the scales and dirt.
  • Use a paper towel to soak up all the water from the tuna before cooking.
  • If your tuna is fresh then it can be eaten rare or medium rare with a little pink in the middle.
  • Cook for 1-2 minutes for rare and 2-3 minutes for medium rare.
  • Sear for the same amount of time on both sides for even cooking.
  • Using a marinade helps add flavor and extra moisture to your tuna.
  • If you’re using frozen tuna steaks, cook all the way through to the middle with no pink to avoid getting sick from food poisoning.

Storage and Freezing

Storage: You can store any leftover teriyaki tuna in an airtight container or large resealable plastic bag. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Freezing: You can also store leftovers in the freezer as well. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Teriyaki Tuna - A Delicious Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Recipe (5)

More Easy Seafood Recipes

  • Sesame Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Whipped Cream
  • Seared Ahi Tuna with Volcano Sauce
  • Fancy Tuna Noodle Casserole

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Teriyaki Tuna - A Delicious Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Recipe (8)

Teriyaki Tuna Recipe

4.60 from 108 votes

This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal!

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

Teriyaki Tuna:

  • 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 4 ahi tuna steaks
  • 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons vegetableoil

Volcano Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Garnish:

  • 1 bunch scallions , sliced diagonally

Instructions

For volcano sauce:

  • Using a small food processor or immersion blender, combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Depending on your tastes for walking on the spicy side, add chili garlic sauce slowly until you reached your desired heat. Set aside.

  • Combine white andblacksesame seeds in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge both sides of the tuna steaks in sesame seeds. Set aside.

  • Heatvegetableoil in a large cast iron skillet or large frying pan over high heat.

  • The name of the game is to sear, which means high heat, spitting oil and in my house, the smoke detector going off, soprepareyour workspaceaccordingly.

  • Whenvegetableoil is hot, place tuna steaks in the pan, cover. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes depending on desiredtemperature. Two to three minutes will be a medium rare for a 1 1/2 inch tuna steak. I like mine rare, so I go for 1-2 minutes on each side. It all depends on the thickness of your tuna steak.

  • Remove tuna steaks from frying pan/cast iron skillet. Plate and top with teriyaki glaze.

  • There are two choices for the volcano sauce. You can put a dollop on the side, allowingindividualsto dip according to their tastes OR you can put the volcano sauce into an airtight plastic bag and cut a small hole on one bottom corner and then pipe the sauce onto teriyaki tuna steaks.

  • Garnish with scallions.

  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 772 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17 g, Protein: 45 g, Fat: 57 g, Saturated Fat: 17 g, Cholesterol: 85 mg, Sodium: 2144 mg, Potassium: 602 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 13 g, Vitamin A: 3765 IU, Vitamin C: 0.2 mg, Calcium: 171 mg, Iron: 4.2 mg

Author: Jessica Formicola

Calories: 772

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: teriyaki tuna

Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!

Teriyaki Tuna - A Delicious Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best oil to sear ahi tuna? ›

Peanut oil adds great flavor. The goal here is to get a nice golden crust on all sides without cooking the ahi tuna all the way through. HOT PAN is key. Basically, the pan needs to be hot enough to get the crust golden in 60-90 seconds, otherwise you'll likely overcook the inside of the fish.

Should I rinse ahi tuna before cooking? ›

You were likely taught to do this, with the idea that it's the best way to clean raw meat. In fact, washing tuna steaks (or any animal protein, really) prior to cooking is a terrible idea that does nothing in terms of removing harmful bacteria from the meat's surface.

How do you cook ahi tuna without drying it out? ›

Brush the top of the steak with garlic-infused olive oil then sprinkle a pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Place this side down on a hot grill (350 is PERFECT). While that side is searing brush the new top side with the oil and add the salt/pepper. After 90 seconds flip the Tuna steak.

What seasoning is good for tuna? ›

By Mark Bittman. Here, grilled tuna is smothered with a mixture of flavorful herbs, made more potent by the addition of chopped olives and a little raw garlic. A mix of parsley, basil, chives, chervil and marjoram, for example, would be splendid, as would one of cilantro, mint and basil.

How many minutes do you sear tuna? ›

Place the tuna steaks in the pan and sear for about 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
  1. Timing will vary based on thickness, preference, and your burner.
  2. Estimated sear time on each side based on doneness: 30 seconds for very rare, 1 minute for medium rare, 1 ½ to 2 minutes for medium-well to well.
Aug 6, 2021

Does tuna need to be room temperature before cooking? ›

If you're wondering why tuna steaks would need to get to room temperature before cooking, it's very simple. As with other meats, even on high heat a cold center won't warm in the time that it takes to sear the outside, particularly if you prefer to serve your tuna steaks rare.

Should ahi tuna sit out before cooking? ›

So how long should tuna steaks be left out? At a minimum, you'll want to remove them from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you're going to toss them in the pan or on the grill. That's enough time for them to reach room temperature.

How do you know when ahi tuna is done? ›

How do you know when tuna steaks are done? Tuna steaks should reach a minimum internal temperature of 125 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest part of the tuna steak after grilling.

Should seared tuna be raw in the middle? ›

If you're wondering if tuna steak should be raw in the middle, the short answer is YES. A properly cooked tuna steak should be seared on the outside but raw on the inside.

How often can you eat seared ahi tuna? ›

The FDA lists yellowfin tuna and albacore tuna as “good choices” while bigeye tuna is included in the fish-to-avoid category because of its high mercury levels. Most other adults can have an 8 oz serving or more of ahi tuna fish every week as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

How is ahi tuna best cooked? ›

How to Cook Ahi Tuna Steaks
  1. Skillet. Cooking ahi tuna steaks in a skillet is the preferred method because it will sear the steaks just enough to leave them raw in the center but create a crispy crust on the outside. ...
  2. Grill. Season the fish then place them on a preheated grill at high heat. ...
  3. Oven.
Mar 6, 2023

What oil do you use for searing fish? ›

Thanks to its neutral flavor, affordable price, and high smoke point, canola oil is the most popular oil for frying fish. Peanut, cottonseed, and coconut oil are also great fish frying oils. Keep reading to discover the benefits of each oil you can use to fry fish.

Is olive oil good for tuna? ›

But when she's making a Mediterranean-style salad or sandwich, Krieger reaches for olive oil-packed tuna. The oil keeps the tuna meaty and moist, and the use of olive oil means it's “somewhat better” for you — at least compared with the oil typically used in mayonnaise.

Can you use grapeseed oil to sear tuna? ›

Baste the tuna steak in a light coat of grapeseed oil on each side and season generously with kosher salt. Tuna is a beautiful, lean protein and the grapeseed oil has a high flash point that will keep the steak from sticking and contribute to texture and flavor in the final cook.

References

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