Last Updated on October 12, 2026
When it comes to delicious food, few dishes excite me like a perfectly seared tuna steak. Today, I’m sharing my go-to ahi tuna steak recipe, a dish that never fails to impress and satisfy. Seared ahi tuna steak in your kitchen is pretty darn easy to make.
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How to Buy the Right Tuna for Searing
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- Thickness is King: Look for steaks cut 1 1/4″ to 2″ thick. If it’s too thin, the middle will overcook before you can get a beautiful crust on the outside.
- The Color Check: Choose Yellowfin or Bigeye (commonly sold as Ahi). Look for a vibrant, deep red color. Avoid anything with brown or dull edges, which means the fish has started to oxidize.
- Texture: The flesh should look firm and moist. If you press it gently, it should bounce right back instead of feeling mushy.
The Seared Tuna Recipe
Getting your fresh tuna ready to sear is easy. What I do first is take the tuna out of the refrigerator about one hour before cooking.
This will allow the tuna to warm up a bit, so the rare center is not cold after searing.
Place your tuna on a plate and pat it dry with a paper towel. Then drizzle on about a teaspoon of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Rub the liquids on both sides and ends so the seasonings will stick.
The seasoning mix I use contains:
- Black sesame seeds
- White sesame seeds
- Italian seasoning
- Granulated garlic
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Combine all these ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasonings onto the raw tuna and press the seeds so they stick well. Coat all sides of the tuna steak.
How To Sear Ahi Tuna Steak
The secret to perfectly seared tuna steak is using a smoking hot cast iron skillet. A heavy stainless-steel skillet would work too.
You need to use a high smoke point oil for this. Peanut oil, avocado oil, or refined safflower oil are the best.
Canola oil and sesame oil are good too. They have a smoke point around 410°F and this is what I used.
The oil will smoke when you sear your tuna, but it will only take 4 or 5 minutes of cooking time. If you have a vent fan you will definitely want to have that on.
Add the oil to your skillet and bring the oil to smoking temperature. It will help if you have an infrared thermometer, (#ad), to see how hot the skillet is getting.
Carefully place the tuna into the pan and sear the first side for 50 to 60 seconds.
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Use a metal spatula and tongs to turn the steak to the other side and sear for 50 to 60 seconds. The sesame seeds should start to brown.
Use tongs to hold the tuna to sear the edges. Sear for about 30 seconds and keep turning the tuna to sear all the edges. The whole cooking process will only take 4 to 5 minutes.
Let The Tuna Steak Rest
Place the finished seared tuna steak on a plate or cutting board and tent it with foil. Keep the foil on for 3 to 5 minutes and the interior of the tuna will keep warming.
To slice the tuna, you need a sharp knife to avoid tearing the meat. The tuna will be quite delicate.
Side Dishes For Seared Ahi Tuna Steak Recipe
Asian-inspired side dishes are perfect with this tuna steak recipe. Simple white rice with green onions and a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil is delicious with it.
A salad of greens with an Asian-flavored vinaigrette would be nice.
My recipe for Pan Braised Baby Potatoes would be excellent.
Stir-fried vegetables with teriyaki sauce.
Oven-browned broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus.
And don’t forget a tasty dipping sauce like wasabi or horseradish sauce. And you may like a drizzle of fresh lemon juice or lime juice
This delicious ahi tuna steak recipe will leave you with tender, flavorful, perfectly seared tuna.
The best part about this ahi tuna steak recipe is that you will have a healthy dinner with low carbs and lots of protein.
Here Are Some More Tasty Recipes To Try:
- Cheesy tuna noodle casserole
- Cold tuna salad for hot summer nights
- Cheesy hot tuna sandwiches
- Lunchtime healthy tuna salad
- Grilled steak kabobs
Seared Tuna Steak Recipe (How to Sear Ahi Tuna)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 12 to 14 oz. ahi tuna steak
- 4 tsp. canola oil, divided
- 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil, divided
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp. black sesame seeds
- 1.5 tbsp. white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Take your tuna steak out of the refrigerator , unwrap it and place it on a plate at least one hour prior to cooking. This will allow it come close to room temperature.
- Pat the fish with paper towels to dry. Then use 1 teaspoon each of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil and coat the entire tuna steak.
- Mix the seeds, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and Italian seasoning together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture onto the tuna and coat both sides and all the edges. Press in the seeds to adhere well.
- Using a cast iron or heavy stainless skillet add 1 tablespoon canola oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil and bring the oil to smoking temperature. Turn on your vent fan if you have one. Carefully place the tuna into the skillet and sear for 50 to 60 seconds.
- Then use a metal turner and tongs to gently flip the steak to the other side. Sear for 50 to 60 seconds. Then use a pair of tongs to hold the steak vertically to sear the edges. Sear all edges about 30 seconds.
- Place the finished steak on a plate or cutting board and tent it with foil for 3 to 5 minutes. The rare center will continue to heat up by doing this. Then to serve, use a very sharp knife to slice the tuna.Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can use different seasonings for your tuna. Rather than using Italian seasoning, dried tarragon would be good too. Â
Nutrition
Jessica
This was so flavorful and delicious! It is just like how we get it at our favorite restaurant. This recipe was easy to follow and it was our first time making it at home too. We used Avocado oil to fry it on our Blackstone. 10/10
Joe Boyle
Thank you Jessica. Yum!
Liz
Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe! Also, just wanted to share that in a pinch, the Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning works quite well!
Joe Boyle
Thank you Liz!
John Hess
I am from Louisiana and as such, I love to cook 🙂 I have to admit … This is the best Tuna Steak recipe I have ever tried! I nailed the flavors and doneness of the meat, but I failed the aesthetics measure miserably. Much of my sesame crust fell free from the meat while cooking it, and a good portion just burnt off … Yours looked perfect!
Do you have any tips or ideas about what I might have done wrong there?
Joe Boyle
Hi John.
Thanks for the comment. It is hard to determine why the seeds would come off if you were handling the tuna carefully. It could be that the skillet was too hot. The sesame seeds should brown a bit but not burn off. A skillet temperature of 350 degrees to 425 degrees would be perfect.
Joe
Mary E Frank
Thank you for this recipe; I have used it over and over again, and it is outstanding! The only change is that I use ghee or coconut oil for the searing.
Joe Boyle
Thank you Mary.
PhillyMama
My first time searing tuna steaks. The recipe is a keeper as my husband requested I make it again. For our palates, a tad less salt is needed in the sesame seed mix. I’ll need to tweak the cooking time with a thermometer to 145* next time. We ate it with rice & mashed ginger, garlic carrots. It paired nicely with a chardonnay. Thanks! First time on your site.
Joe Boyle
Thank you for the comment.
Rc
Loved this. Can’t wait to serve at Xmas to those who don’t eat meat.
Joe Boyle
Thank you. Glad you like it.
John
Beautiful
Ellen M
Great recipe!! Instead of the seeds I used everything bagel seasoning, and mix it with the Italian seasoning
Excellent!
Joe Boyle
Thank you Ellen!
Yeni
Love this recipe, it’s easy and delicious, have made it several times and it’s my go to recipe for ahà tuna.
Joe Boyle
Thank you Yeni!
Krysia
Fantastic recipe, thank you! Having never really made tuna steaks before, I really appreciated the background information and clear instructions. My husband and I loved this recipe, we made it exactly as written, and it turned out beautifully. So tender and flavorful. We will definitely make this again.
Joe Boyle
Thank you for the nice comment Krysia. Glad that you liked it.
Bennet G Kelley
Easy to make and got lots of compliments.
Joe
Thanks Bennet for the nice comment.
DB
Fantastic. Went with chili sesame oil because we like a little heat. Seared with super hot grape-seed oil. Heavy on the garlic of course.
Lauren
Thank you for this recipe. I was looking for something flavorful, quick, and more complex than a lot of quick recipes out there. I was happy to get to use my black sesame seeds, too. This goes great with simple Swiss chard and a small serving of basmati rice.
Joe
Hi Lauren,
Thank you for the nice comment. Glad you liked the seared tuna.
Joe
Shifra Lauber
Awesome recipe!!! I added fresh lemon juice over the steak when it was ready to be served.
Joe
Thank you Shifra.
Amy Wright
This recipe was fabulous times two! My husband and I are trying new healthy recipes and this is definitely a keeper. We especially loved the mix of sesame seeds and herbs and the early rub of soy sauce and sesame oil. Next time we are cooking for guests!
Joe
Hi Amy,
Thank you for the nice comment I’m glad you like the recipe…and I think I have to grab some tuna steaks soon also.
Joe
Nrob
I get bluefin at work this time of year regularly. Lucky I know. This will be my first time trying this recipe I will keep you posted it looks awesome
Joe
I think you will like it. Thanks for the comment.
sandra axelrod
I make mine almost exactly like this. Instead of brushing with soy sauce and sesame oil, I brush with only sesame oil. I serve with a wasabi aioli and wasabi/garlic mashed potatoes. It’s one of our favorite meals!!!
Joe
Hi Sandy,
Your mashed potato side dish sounds wonderful. Yes, tuna is a great meal that we don’t have often enough. Thank you for the comment.
Joe
MaryJo
This is such a flavorful and beautiful entre that doesnt take much effort. You should try it!