Restaurant-quality tuna steak recipes — seared rare, sesame-crusted, grilled, and served with bold sauces.
★ Dinner
Marinated ahi tuna steak on a bed of wasabi mashed with a side of grilled bok choy.
P.S. We update the recipes on this page every few days. If you want to cook this recipe over and over again, we'd love it if you downloaded Pepper 🤝.
More to try
11+ more tuna steak recipes
Join 1M+ cooks discovering, organizing, and sharing their recipes on Pepper
Open in Pepper →A seared tuna steak takes about 90 seconds per side, requires almost no preparation, and looks stunning on the plate. It's one of the few proteins where doing less is always better — the goal is a deep sear on the outside with a cool, rare center.
Season with sesame seeds, soy sauce, and ginger for an Asian-inspired preparation, or keep it minimal with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of high-quality olive oil. The quality of the fish matters more than anything else here — buy sushi-grade when possible.
On Pepper, these are the tuna steak recipes home cooks return to, making impressive seafood dinners a regular part of their routine.
Buy sushi-grade for rare
If you're searing tuna rare or medium-rare, make sure it's labeled sushi-grade or sashimi-grade. This ensures it's been handled and frozen to food-safe standards for raw consumption.
Screaming hot pan only
Tuna steaks need a very hot pan — cast iron or stainless — to get a proper sear without overcooking. 60–90 seconds per side for rare is all it takes. Don't use non-stick here.
Season right before searing
Pat tuna steaks dry and season with salt and pepper right before they hit the pan. Salting too early draws out moisture, which can create steam in the pan instead of a clean sear.
Slice thin against grain
Slice seared tuna thinly against the grain at an angle for the cleanest presentation and best texture. A sharp knife and confident cuts make a big difference in how the final dish looks.