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    Home » Recipes » Seafood

    Published: May 7, 2019 · Modified: Sep 30, 2020 by Jennifer Banz· 14 Comments

    10 Minute Sesame Crusted Tuna

    Jump to Recipe Pin for Later

    These sesame crusted and seared tuna steaks are marinated in a quick sauce, crusted in beautiful black sesame seeds, and seared in a hot skillet. Truly one of the quickest and easiest dishes you can make!

    2 sesame crusted ahi tuna steaks sliced on a white plate

    As I said in my Ahi Poke Bowl Recipe, I never would have thought I would be eating raw (or in this case rare) tuna steaks.  I have come to love Sesame Crusted Tuna so much that I have it on the regular.  Thankfully we live in a day and age that supports my habit because I can find tuna steaks almost everywhere.

    When I buy tuna for this recipe or for my diy ahi poke bowls, I buy already frozen tuna just to be on the safe side.  Most tuna is frozen as soon as it is caught, so buying it frozen doesn't make any difference on how fresh the tuna is.

    HOW TO MAKE SESAME CRUSTED TUNA

    We start this recipe off by doing a quick marinade of the tuna in sesame oil and soy sauce.  The tuna absorbs the marinade very fast so we really only need to marinate them for a few minutes.

    ahi tuna marinading in sesame oil and soy sauce on a white plate

    While the tuna is soaking up the marinade, we can start to get our skillet hot and pull out a separate plate for the sesame seeds.  I like to use black sesame seeds because I love the way they look, but you can use white if you like, or a combo of the 2.

    Now we can place the tuna steaks in the sesame seeds and get all sides coated.

    tuna steaks on a plate full of sesame seeds

    Crust the tuna steaks in the sesame seeds, then place them in the hot skillet.  If your skillet is not big enough for both steaks, then cook them one at a time.

    We want to sear them on all sides for 1 minute.  This, in my opinion, is the perfect amount of time to cook your sesame crusted tuna steaks.  If you prefer them cooked a little longer, that is fine as well.

    sesame crusted tuna steaks searing in a non stick skillet

    Now we can remove the tuna steaks from the pan to a cutting board and slice them into ½ inch thick slices.

    These are perfect eaten as is or served over an arugula salad with an asian inspired dressing.

    2 sesame crusted ahi tuna steaks sliced on a white plate

    10 Minute Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks

    These sesame crusted and seared tuna steaks are marinated in a quick sauce, crusted in beautiful black sesame seeds, and seared in a hot skillet. Truly one of the quickest and easiest dishes you can make!
    2 Net Carbs
    2 Freestyle Points
    5 from 8 votes
    Save to FavoritesSaved! Print
    Course: dinner
    Cuisine: asian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 200
    Author: Jennifer Banz

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Ingredients

    • 2 4 ounce Ahi Tuna Steaks
    • 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
    • 2 Tablespoons Black sesame seeds
    US to Metric Conversion Chart for Common Keto Ingredients
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    Instructions

    • Place the tuna steaks in a shallow plate or bowl.  Pour the sesame oil and soy sauce on top of the steaks and flip to coat in the sauce.  Set aside to marinate.  In a separate shallow bowl or plate, add the sesame seeds.
    • Place a non-stick skillet large enough for both steaks over medium-hi heat.  leave to get hot.
    • Coat each tuna steak in the sesame seeds on all sides.  Place in the hot skillet and sear for 1 minute on each side.  Remove from the skillet to a cutting board.  Slice in ½ inch thick slices.  
    Servings: 2

    Nutrition per serving

    Calories: 200 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

    Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.

    Keyword :gluten free, recipe for ahi tuna, seared ahi tuna recipe

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      Recipe Reviews




    1. Andrew Schmidt says

      November 24, 2023 at 7:15 pm

      We followed the recipe and our tuna steaks burned onto the pan, even with oil in the pan. Took way longer than 1 minute per side to get up to 145 F also.

      Reply
      • Jennifer Banz says

        November 26, 2023 at 8:40 am

        Tuna steaks are meant to be eaten rare (125F), not to 145F.

        Reply
    2. Kathy says

      July 27, 2023 at 9:22 am

      5 stars
      I've been loving 'flash-seared' ahi for at least 20 years and it is indeed ready in a flash. So delicious. My approach is slightly different, but either way, it's a perfect dinner treat, and wonderful served with quick sauteed green beans.
      My fridge always has a plastic container of toasted sesame seeds (I toast them in a skillet... starts slowly and then watch out. Plus they continue to 'toast' for a few minutes after spreading them on paper towels to cool). I pour sesame oil in the pan and then stir in some Garden Gourmet ginger paste and garlic paste. While the pan w/oil+ is getting super hot, I coat each side of the ahi with toasted sesame seeds. Then flash sear - like you do - about 1 minute per side. As I cut the pieces to eat, I dip each in a small dish of soy sauce. Nirvana!

      Reply
    3. Robert says

      July 27, 2023 at 6:35 am

      5 stars
      Couldn't be easier.....once you find nice, fresh tuna.

      Reply
    4. GJA says

      March 02, 2022 at 7:59 pm

      5 stars
      Simple ingredients, easy to prep, quick to cook, no messy clean up, and delicious. This will be a regular week night meal.

      Reply
    5. John L. says

      March 05, 2021 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      Just excellent. Prepared consistent with recipe instructions. Don’t let the simplicity of ingredients or preparation cause hesitation. Very, very tasty. A definite keeper. Highly recommend this one.

      Reply
    6. JRH says

      January 23, 2021 at 10:32 pm

      5 stars
      Quick and Easy, Everyone loved it

      Reply
    7. Gerd says

      January 01, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent recipe! I tried it out yesterday and it worked perfectly well! Best tuna I ever had. Our guests were very pleased and surprised about the easy but very tasty result!

      Reply
    8. Daryll says

      November 04, 2020 at 12:25 pm

      Do the tuna steaks need to be thawed before the marinade? Or do you go straight from frozen into the marinade

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        November 09, 2020 at 10:09 am

        Yes, they need to be thawed

        Reply
    9. Mary Monk says

      September 12, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      It looked like you oiled the pan but it was no in the recipe or instructions. I wasn't sure if you are supposed to use a dry fry method or oil the pan. thanks 🙂

      Reply
      • jenniferbanz says

        September 18, 2020 at 4:35 pm

        If you use non-stick you shouldn't have to add oil

        Reply
    10. Shiho says

      May 23, 2019 at 3:59 pm

      5 stars
      We have similar called "Tataki" in Japan had this almost everyday, brings back my fond memory of my home country.

      Reply
    11. Jane Saunders says

      May 23, 2019 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      I love your photography in this post. You've really shown off the colour of the tuna using white crockery and the black sesame seeds. My mouth is watering and what's so good is that even I can manage this recipe and I'm not great at cooking fish.

      Reply

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