YUM I like to serve with cabbage salad
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 (6-8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks (3/4 of an inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or 2 teaspoons of wheat-free tamari for gluten-free option)
- 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
- 1 green onion (scallion) thinly sliced (a few slices reserved for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 7.64963333651338 g
- Cholesterol 342.720000695325 mg
- Fat 255.367879625421 g
- Fiber 0.982374981986862 g
- Protein 59.8272209505109 g
- Saturated Fat 79.4053557365183 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (554g)
- Sodium 4210.24400850417 mg
- Sugar 6.66725835452652 g
- Trans Fat 25.9505193838369 g
- Calories 2577 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side ( even a little longer if you want the tuna less rare than pictured.)
- Remove from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices.
Marinating dense proteins like ahi tuna in an acid-heavy liquid for more than two hours will denature the exterior proteins prematurely, resulting in a mealy texture rather than a firm sear. To prevent this, limit the marinade contact time and dry the surface thoroughly with paper towels before hitting the pan. A heavy cast-iron skillet or well-seasoned non-stick pan must reach high heat before the fish is introduced, ensuring the exterior develops a deep crust while the interior remains cool and raw. Searing requires exactly sixty to ninety seconds per side for steaks that measure three-quarters of an inch thick. Because high-grade tuna represents a significant financial investment per pound, stretching the yield is easy when serving the sliced fish over a crunchy cabbage salad or shredded napa cabbage dressed with rice vinegar. Cabbage absorbs heavy dressings without wilting quickly, providing bulk that makes two steaks comfortably feed four people as a shared appetizer. When scaling this preparation for a larger group, mix the marinade in multiples but sear the fish in batches to avoid crowding the skillet, which drops the surface temperature and causes steaming instead of browning. Slice the finished fish with a sharp, long-bladed yanagiba or slicing knife wiped clean between cuts to preserve the clean edges of each quarter-inch piece.
