Seared Ahi Tuna with Ginger Dipping Sauce

 

3-seared tuna steak with ginger dipping sauce

By eric molina from San Francisco, United States (Seared Ahi Tuna Steak) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

There are times when you have an intense craving for fish and yet too tired to create a lavish dish for your indulgence. A tuna steak can become a savior during such moments. First of all, it’s easily available in your nearest supermarket and needs very simple ingredients to bring the best out of it. So if you are looking for a simple yet delicious fish recipe, go for seared ahi tuna. It will only take 20 minutes to get ready, involve minimal ingredients and extremely flexible to work with.

However, if you are planning to eat tuna, there are few guidelines which you must follow to reap maximum health benefits from it. The high omega-3 fatty acid and protein content in tuna is hardly a secret. But the deeper water varieties are found to contain fair amount of mercury which isn’t good news for your health. So opt for the smaller tuna caught by the pole or just choose canned tuna to stay in the safe side. A chat with your fishmonger will surely help you make a smarter choice in this context.

Now back to the dish. This ahi tuna is spiked up with a dash of coconut aminos (healthy substitute for soy sauce) and the sesame seed crust makes it more interesting owing to this nutty undertone. When seared on a grill or stovetop, the tender tuna morsels leave a mellowing sensation in your mouth. Enjoy it with a bowl of ginger dipping sauce to turn the experience more heartwarming and give a nice Asian makeover to a humble yet ‘wow’ tuna steak.

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

For the seared tuna:

  • Four (8 oz each) tuna steaks, about 1’’ thick
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dipping sauce:

  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 green onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp raw honey
  • ¼ cup coconut aminos
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Method:

  • Warm up your grill to moderately high heat.
  • Blot dry the tuna steaks with few kitchen papers and set aside.
  • Scatter the sesame seeds onto a shallow dish and set aside.
  • Whisk a tbsp each of sesame oil and coconut aminos together in a small bowl, until well combined.
  • Drizzle it over the tuna steaks and flip the fish over to coat either side with this mixture.
  • Sprinkle a dash of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper generously, all over the fish steaks and transfer them onto the dish with sesame seeds.
  • Flip them over to coat either side with the sesame seeds and pat them gently to make them stick to the fish.
  • Place them on the pre-greased, hot grill grate and grill each side for 5 minutes or more depending on the thickness of the steaks and your preference of doneness.
  • While the tuna grills, make the dipping sauce, by whisking all its wet ingredients together until mixed thoroughly.
  • Sprinkle the green onions, grated ginger, red pepper flakes as well as the chopped cilantro into the mixture and give them a nice stir to mix well.
  • Split the dipping sauce among four small serving bowls and set aside until the steaks are ready.
  • Once seared nicely, remove the fish steaks from the grill and place them onto the cutting board.
  • Slice each steak into ¼’’slices and lay them out onto serving plates.
  • Serve warm alongside dipping sauce.