Seared Tuna Steak
Tuna is not chicken: it is not meant to be cooked through. The flesh holds almost no fat, so by the third minute in the pan it has given up its moisture and turned fibrous and dry. A proper steak has a thin seared crust and a bright red middle — exactly one minute a side in a very hot pan.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 280 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: 4 steaks
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Marinate briefly
Brush the steaks with soy and sesame oil and refrigerate 30 minutes. No longer: the salt starts drawing moisture out.
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Step 2: Dry them
Blot the steaks dry with kitchen paper. A wet surface gives no crust — the fish steams before it can brown.
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Step 3: Coat in sesame
Press the sides into the sesame seeds. They toast in the same two minutes and give a nutty crunch at the edges.
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Step 4: Heat the pan until it smokes
A cast-iron pan with olive oil should be very hot, the oil just shimmering. In a lukewarm pan the tuna cooks through before it colours.
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Step 5: One minute a side
Lay them in and leave them 60 seconds, then turn and give them 60 more. A pale band 3–4 mm deep should appear at the edge; the centre stays red.
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Step 6: Slice across the grain
Rest a minute and slice across the grain into 1 cm pieces with a sharp knife. Serve with lemon and salt.
Tips & variations
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Tip
For this method the tuna must be very fresh or frozen at sea (labelled sashimi grade): the middle stays essentially raw.
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Tip
A steak thinner than 2 cm cannot stay red inside — it cooks through in the same minute. Ask for it cut thick.
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Variation
Cooked through, for anyone who will not eat raw fish: 3 minutes a side over medium heat, and serve a lemon-yoghurt sauce with it, because it will be drier.
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Storage
Seared tuna is eaten straight away. Leftovers are good cold in a salad, but do not reheat them.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 280 kcal | 1,120 kcal |
| Protein | 34 g | 136 g |
| Fat | 15 g | 60 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g | 8 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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