These seared ahi tuna steaks take only 6 minutes to make- they're healthy, crispy and seared on the outside, and medium-rare on the inside, and bursting with umami flavor!
Rating
4.97 stars (1916 reviews)
Keywords
Ahi tuna recipe, How to cook ahi tuna, Seared ahi tuna medium rare
Ingredients
2 ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna) steaks ((about 4 oz. each, 1" thick - see notes for thinner or thicker))
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (see notes)
1 tablespoon honey (see notes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ((optional))
1 tablespoon oil (canola, olive, or other high-heat cooking oil of preference)
green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and lime wedges (for serving (optional))
Categories
Fish
Cuisine
Seafood
Steps
Pat the 2 ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna) steaks dry with a paper towel. Place on a plate or inside a plastic bag.
Mix the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (OMIT if marinating for more than a couple hours, see notes), 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper until honey is fully dissolved. Pour over the ahi tuna steaks and turn over to coat completely. Optional: allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Also optional: Reserve a spoonful or two of the marinade before coating the fish for drizzling on top after you've cooked it.
Heat a medium skillet (preferably non-stick or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet) on medium-high to high until very hot ( or medium to medium-high for nonstick). I recommend giving cast iron 3-5 minutes to get hot and nonstick about 1 minute, depending on how thick it is.
Add the 1 tablespoon oil to the hot pan. Sear the tuna for 1 - 1½ minutes on each side for medium rare ( 2 -2½ minutes for medium-well to well, 30 seconds for very rare. See notes - this will vary based on thickness of the tuna steaks). (Note: different burners get hotter depending on your stove. Use your best judgement whether you use medium, medium-high, or high heat, as the marinade may burn if too high heat is used)
Remove to a cutting board. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and serve garnished with green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and lime wedges, if desired.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 331 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 20 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 43 mg
Sodium: 1632 mg
Sugar: 9 g
Reviews
Ina Brittain on 2025-05-06 (5 stars): This recipe and the accompanying guidelines are right on perfect! Thank you so much.
Tiziana on 2025-04-29 (5 stars): This came out great! I needed a quick recipe to cook some extra sashimi from a sushi boat and it worked perfectly for my situation! ❤️ def saved for future uses.
Sabrina on 2025-04-21 (5 stars): Just wanted to let you know that my husband and I love this recipe! usually make it 3 to 4 times a month at least ..this week, I made it twice. My husband is Japanese , I serve it with sticky rice and roasted broccoli or green beans.. sometimes I’ll add frozen ginger from Trader Joe’s to marinate with . Plus Aldi has a packet of three good size tuna frozen for less than five bucks, shh my husband thinks I get it at the fish market haha love this recipe so glad I came across it ! I am going to try the salmon bite recipe that you mentioned I’ve made black and salmon and my husband will not eat it salmon at all but maybe I’ll try this one since he loves the ahi tuna just maybe I can get him to like salmon
Hilda on 2025-04-18 (5 stars): I’ve made this recipe several time now and it’s always a win. We get thicker cut ahi tuna and sear around 2.5-3 minutes each side on medium/medium-high. Hubby likes rare and I like medium rare so we parcel out edges to me and middle to hubby. So delicious! Thank you!
N on 2025-04-16 (4 stars): Very good, very salty though, use less soy sauce or don’t add salt would be my recommendation.
Bella on 2025-04-14 (5 stars): Just made this 1 hour ago for dinner, and hubby devoured it less than 10 minutes. Thank you so much for this absolutely easy and delicious recipe!! It was so fun to cook, and I will definitely try your other fish recipes.
Jen on 2025-04-08 (5 stars): A crowd pleaser and easier than expected!
Melanie Bober on 2025-04-06 (5 stars): Super easy and very tasty recipe! I added ginger to the marinade and served it with coconut rice ( rice cooked in water and some coconut milk).
Sandra on 2025-04-01 (5 stars): I made this and my family loved it. They said they could eat this on a regular basis. They really liked the home made sauce with it. Very easy to make.
