The other day my husband had been out grocery shopping for a few odds and ends and he ended up bringing home some Ahi Tuna. I love Ahi Tuna, but in all honesty, it’s not something I usually make here at home, so I had to do some searching for a great recipe that I could easily duplicate at home that would make my boys smile. I was on a mission.
In my search, I came across the blog Chew Out Loud where I found a recipe for Marinated Seared Ahi. I read through the recipe and it seemed simple enough. I just needed the sesame oil. I ran out to the store, picked some up, and came home to get the marinade started. It smelled so good too. I almost thought about chopping the Ahi up into small cubes and tossing it with the marinade like Ahi Poke and eating it right there, but I resisted. I put it all together in a glass dish, covered it, and put it in the fridge to set for a few hours.
I must say, Amy, the author of Chew Out Loud, really knows how to make a good marinated seared Ahi. Once the Ahi was done marinating I heated up my cooking oil to just about smoking and seared each piece for about a minute and a half on both sides. I served it up with some Sriracha Mayonnaise, a bit of chopped up green onion, and some sesame seeds. It was love at first bite. I love coming across a recipe that you instantly know it’s going to be a keeper. Thanks Amy! This will now be our families go to recipe when making seared Ahi.
- 2 TB regular strength soy sauce
- 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 TB Asian toasted sesame oil (found in the Asian aisle)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 to 21/2 lbs fresh ahi tuna steaks, about 1½-1⅔ inches thick
- oil for cooking
- Optional: freshly chopped cilantro, green scallions, sesame seeds for garnish.
- Optional: Sriracha Mayo for drizzling
- In a bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients to make a marinade. Towel dry tuna steaks and place in a glass or ceramic dish. Pour marinade over the fish, turning to coat well throughout. Cover tightly and chill several hours to overnight; turn fish over at least once in the middle of marinade time.
- Heat 3 TB oil in a large heavy skillet (aluminum or stainless steel; not nonstick) until oil is smoking. Sear ahi steaks 1½ minutes per side on high heat, taking care to flip carefully with a flat, steel spatula. (If your tuna is less than 1½ inches thick, sear for only 1 minute per side.)
- Transfer seared ahi to a large cutting board and let rest/cool 10 minutes. Use a very sharp (serrated works well) knife to slice thinly across the grain.
- Serve chilled or at room temp, over your favorite salad greens. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro or green onions, if desired. Drizzle with Sriracha mayo if desired.
Disholicious 