Is it safe to eat seared ahi tuna?

Ahi tuna is almost always served raw in the middle, so it's safest to use high quality, sushi-grade (or grade 1) ahi from a reputable seller. The fish market or counter should be able to answer any questions you have about the quality/source of their ahi tuna.

Can you cook ahi tuna until it's fully cooked?

Technically, you can serve fully cooked ahi tuna, but it will taste completely different from seared ahi tuna. Tuna that has been cooked all the way through tends to be more like canned tuna; dry and flaky. Pan-seared is generally considered the best way to cook ahi tuna.

How do you know when ahi tuna is done cooking?

It's important to ensure your ahi tuna is not overcooked, as overcooking creates an unpalatable texture that's chewy and dry. For ahi tuna steaks that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick, we recommend searing on high heat for 1 1/2 minutes per side. For thinner tuna steaks, sear only 1 minute per side.

Marinated Seared Ahi Tuna

Name: Marinated Seared Ahi Tuna
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 12 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Asian American
Ingredients: 2 TB regular strength soy sauce; 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 TB Asian toasted sesame oil (found in the Asian aisle); 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp granulated sugar; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper; 2 to 21/2 lbs fresh ahi tuna steaks, about 1 1/2-1 2/3 inches thick; oil for cooking; Optional: freshly chopped cilantro, green scallions, sesame seeds for garnish.; Optional: Sriracha mayo for drizzling (really good!)

Description

Here’s the most amazing Marinated Seared Ahi you can make at home! It’s bursting with flavor, super easy to make, and fantastic as an appetizer or healthy dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

2 TB regular strength soy sauce
2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 TB Asian toasted sesame oil (found in the Asian aisle)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 to 21/2 lbs fresh ahi tuna steaks, about 1 1/2-1 2/3 inches thick
oil for cooking
Optional: freshly chopped cilantro, green scallions, sesame seeds for garnish.
Optional: Sriracha mayo for drizzling (really good!)

Instructions

Marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients to make a marinade. Towel dry tuna steaks and place in a glass or ceramic dish. Pour marinade over the fish, turning to coat well throughout. Cover tightly and chill several hours to overnight; turn fish over at least once in the middle of marinade time.
Sear: Heat 3 TB oil in a large heavy skillet (aluminum or stainless steel; not nonstick) until oil is smoking. Sear ahi steaks 1 1/2 minutes per side on high heat, taking care to flip carefully with a flat, steel spatula. (If your tuna is less than 1 1/2 inches thick, sear for only 1 minute per side.)
Rest/Cool: Transfer seared ahi to a large cutting board and let rest/cool 10 minutes. Use a very sharp (serrated works well) knife to slice thinly across the grain.
Serve: Serve chilled or at room temp, over your favorite salad greens or crispy Asian salad. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro or green onions, if desired. Drizzle with Sriracha mayo if desired.

Notes

Seared ahi is best eaten on same day. However, leftovers can be tightly wrapped and chilled for up to 1 day.
A good quality Riesling is superb with this dish!

For lower sodium version, use reduced sodium soy sauce.

To keep dish gluten-free, double check that your soy sauce is labeled gluten-free. Our favorite gluten-free soy sauce is Tamari.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating 🙂

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 2 mins
Category: appetizer
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: Asian American

Keywords: seared ahi, ahi recipe, ahi tuna