These tuna steak recipes are the best ways to serve this meaty, buttery fish! Try ahi tuna seared, grilled, in tacos and more.

Tuna steak recipes

Got a slab of bright pink tuna steaks? This luxuriously buttery, mild fish is unique and versatile. Ahi tuna, a term that includes both yellowfin tuna or bigeye tuna, is commonly served as sushi, in poke bowls, or cooked rare or medium-rare like a big juicy steak. Here are all our favorite fresh tuna steak recipes for turning it into dinner: both cooked and raw! Along with selections from this website, we’ve featured selections from the websites Simply Recipes and Skinny Taste.

And now…10 great ahi tuna steak recipes!

Tips for buying ahi tuna steak

You’ll want a great piece of fish for these fresh tuna steak recipes. Ahi tuna (aka yellowtail tuna) is sold as large thick steaks at the grocery, not thin fillets like with other types of fish. Here’s what to look for when buying tuna steaks:

  • Make sure it’s sushi or sashimi grade. There are no specific regulations around the label “sushi-grade,” but it means it’s a high quality fish that is safe to be eaten raw.
  • Check at the fish counter. You should be able to find ahi tuna steaks at your local grocery counter.
  • Look for frozen steaks. Or, it’s possible that your grocery might have frozen steaks. These can be even fresher than fresh tuna if they’re flash frozen right when they’re caught. You’ll just need to thaw the night before in the refrigerator.
  • Find wild caught. Fish that is wild caught is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.

More fish recipes

Love fresh fish recipes? Here are some of our favorites to choose from:

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10 Tuna Steak Recipes: Seared Ahi Tuna & More!


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

These tuna steak recipes are the best ways to serve this meaty, buttery fish! Try ahi tuna seared, grilled, in tacos and more. For all the recipes, see the list above!


Ingredients

Scale

For the garlic herb sauce

  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons jarred capers, drained
  • ¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
  • 1 whole garlic clove, peeled and smashed
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch kosher salt

For the tuna steaks

  • 4 steaks (1 pound) high quality ahi tuna (sashimi grade recommended; wild caught if you can find it*)
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Allow the tuna steak to come to room temperature by letting it stand for at least 20 minutes. (Use this time to prep the ingredients for the sauce!)
  2. Pat the tuna dry. Sprinkle it liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on both sides to get a nice even coating.
  3. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the tuna steaks and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned on the outside but still rare the inside. The tuna will continue cooking while sitting. For a medium-rare tuna steak, the internal temperature should be 130 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a food thermometer at the thickest point.
  4. Allow the tuna to cool for 3 minutes while you make the sauce.
  5. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over low heat. Once melted, add the capers (whole or chopped for a smoother sauce), finely minced parsley, the smashed garlic clove, Dijon mustard, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and remove garlic clove.
  6. Slice the tuna against the grain into ½-inch slices and serve immediately with a few drizzles of the sauce.
  • Category: Main dish
  • Method: Seared
  • Cuisine: Seafood
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Keywords: Tuna steak recipes

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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