• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
I am the Maven®
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Travel
    • Seattle
  • Entertainment
    • Star Wars
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Travel
    • Seattle
  • Entertainment
    • Star Wars
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Life
    • Travel
      • Seattle
    • Entertainment
      • Star Wars
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes

    Sesame Grilled Tuna

    Published: Aug 4, 2020 by Kerri Jablonski · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard
    • Mix

    This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

    sesame crusted tuna and grilled snap peas with soy sauce on a white plate

    It's no secret I love grilled ahi. It reminds me of a vacation. Every. Single. Time. But the only vacation we're doing right now is a staycation. My husband Alan and I decided it was time to give our favorite sesame crusted tuna recipe a try on our outdoor grill. I love that I can count on my neighborhood Safeway for ingredients for my favorite summer grilling recipes.

    My grilled tuna steaks and snap peas features exclusive O Organics® produce and Waterfront BISTRO® seafood. O Organics® Produce and Waterfront BISTRO® Seafood Products are high-quality, affordable and exclusively available at Seattle-area Safeway and Albertsons stores. I appreciate that these products allow us to make a gourmet meal at the fraction of restaurant costs, but also that Waterfront BISTRO® is sustainably caught, Responsible Choice™, restaurant quality seafood.

    Sesame Grilled Tuna

    ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

    ¼ cup scallions (chopped, white and light green parts)

    1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 (5-ounce) tuna steaks

    ¼ cup sesame seeds

    ingredients for sesame crusted tuna

    In a large zip-lock bag, combine the soy sauce, chopped scallions and sesame oil. Mix until combined.

    Add the tuna steaks and make sure they are well coated. Seal the bag, pressing to remove all air and place on a plate in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

    Place the sesame seeds on a plate or a shallow dish. Remove the tuna steaks from the marinade bag, brushing off the scallions if needed. Dip into sesame seeds, patting into steak until all sides are coated.

    Preheat your grill to high heat. If you are using a grill basket place that on your grill while heating. Place tuna steaks on the grill or grill basket and quickly sear, about 1 - 1 ½ minutes per side. Turning carefully with a spatula. Medium rare has an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Warning, it will cook FAST. I find on my outdoor grill I usually end up closer to medium (which is still yummy) vs medium rare on my cast iron on my stove top.

    Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the tuna on individual plates, overlapping the slices. Serve immediately. Serve with dipping bowls of soy sauce and wasabi if desired, finish with picked ginger. You can find all of these things in the Asian or International section of your local store.

    Sesame Grilled Tuna

    Kerri Jablonski
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Seafood
    Servings 2

    Ingredients
      

    • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
    • ¼ cup scallions chopped, white and light green parts
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 2 5-ounce tuna steaks
    • ¼ cup sesame seeds

    Instructions
     

    • In a large zip-lock bag, combine the soy sauce, chopped scallions and sesame oil. Mix until combined. Add the tuna steaks and make sure they are well coated. Seal the bag, pressing to remove all air and place on a plate in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
    • Place the sesame seeds on a plate or a shallow dish. Remove the tuna steaks from the marinade bag, brushing off the scallions if needed. Dip into sesame seeds, patting into steak until all sides are coated.
    • Preheat your grill to high heat. If you are using a grill basket place that on your grill while heating.
    • Place tuna steaks on the grill or grill basket and quickly sear, about 1- 1 ½ minutes per side. Turning carefully with a spatula. Medium rare has an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Warning, it will cook FAST. I find on my outdoor grill I usually end up closer to medium (which is still yummy) vs medium rare on my cast iron on my stove top.
    • Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the tuna on individual plates, overlapping the slices. Serve immediately.

    Tips on preparing grilled tuna steaks

    You don't need to be intimidated by grilling tuna, but after making it both on my gas grill, and indoors on my cast iron, I think these tips for grilled tuna steaks are helpful.

    Why is it important to marinate tuna before grilling?

    Don't be tempted to skip the marinade! It only takes 15-20 minutes and is a critical part of the preparing tuna steaks. Marinating the tuna steak helps prevent the it from drying out as it is seared. You want to keep the marinade simple, so you don't "cook" the tuna (we aren't making ceviche.) Soy sauce, sesame oil and some chopped scallions make a simple marinade for tuna. Avoid citruses or you will cook your fish while it's marinating.

    What type of tuna should I use?

    Sesame crusted tuna is typically served medium rare, so it's important to choose a high quality fish. For this recipe I used Waterfront BISTRO Yellow Fin Tuna Steaks. Flash frozen fish typically kills any bacteria that might be left on the fish.

    How long should I grill my tuna?

    It's very important to preheat your grill to high before starting to cook your tuna. You want your grill to be HOT. Searing tuna only takes 1-2 minutes per side. It will go faster than you think! If you don't like rare fish, grill the tuna a little longer until it is opaque throughout. Just like a steak, it will not be as tender, but will still taste delicious.

    What do I serve with my grilled tuna steaks?

    The perfect side to the sesame crusted tuna is grilled snap peas. Grilled snap peas are so easy to make and cook right along side your tuna. They do need a longer cook time, so you'll want to start them first. I toss O Organics Organic Sugar Snap Peas with some kosher salt and peanut oil, then gril for about 7-9 minutes until just blackened, then toss with O Organics Organic Fresh Mint. If you are allergic to peanut oil, you can substitute another high heat oil.

    Grilled Snap Peas

    1 10oz bag of sugar snap peas

    1 tablespoon peanut oil (or other high heat oil)

    ½ teaspoon kosher salt

    ¼ cup mint sliced into the thin slivers

    ingredients for grilled snap peas

    Preheat the grill to high heat. Trim the any stems off the snap peas and then toss with peanut oil and salt in a bowl.

    Heat your grill for a few minutes on high heat.

    Place the snap peas on a perforated grilling pan. Grill for about 5 minutes with the lid closed until snap peas begin to blacken. Flip the peas, and continue grilling for a few more minutes.

    Remove from heat, and place peas back in the same bowl, add mint and toss while the peas are still warm. snap peas on grill basket

    Grilled Snap Peas

    Kerri Jablonski
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Side Dish
    Servings 2

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 10 oz bag of sugar snap peas
    • 1 tablespoon peanut oil or other high heat oil
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ cup mint sliced into the thin slivers

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the grill to high heat.
    • Trim the any stems off the snap peas and then toss with peanut oil and salt in a bowl.
    • Fire up the grill, nice and hot. I let the grill sit on high for a couple of minutes with the lid shut. Place the snap peas on a perforated grilling pan. Grill for about 5 minutes with the lid closed until snap peas begin to blacken. Flip the peas, and continue grilling for a few more minutes.
    • Remove from heat, and place peas back in the same bowl, add mint and toss while the peas are still warm.

    I shop at Safeway in my local area, but you can also find O Organics® and Waterfront BISTRO® products exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb. Safeway and Albertsons also offer Grocery Delivery and Drive Up & Go™ for convenient ways to shop! I love that I can rely on Grocery Delivery for a way to shop right from home, it makes it easy to meal plan and use all the savings from my Safeway app.

    The products I used for these recipes are available exclusively at one of the following Albertsons Companies stores: Available at most stores within the Intermountain Division. Ask a store near you! Safeway

    More Recipes

    • The Best refrigerator snack ideas for kids!
    • asian inspired meal in black bowl with chopsticks
      General Tso’s Chicken with Spicy Noodles and Sesame Green Beans
    • stack of black sesame seed shortbread on a wood board
      Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies
    • puff pastry wrapped around gatbsy chocolate on a white background
      Easy Chocolate Puff Pastry Roll Recipe

    About Kerri Jablonski

    Kerri Jablonski is a Seattle Mom Blogger. She lives with her 3 kids (2008, 2010, 2013), her husband and cats. Two of her children have Autism. Kerri enjoys cooking, travel, movies and spending time with her family.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Shelly Peterson

      August 07, 2020 at 4:18 pm

      I've never made tuna before. This looks really good.

      Reply
    2. monique s

      August 08, 2020 at 5:34 am

      This looks amazing. I love tuna and grilled tuna is my favorite. Sesame sounds fantastic

      Reply
    3. heather

      August 08, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      I'm not a big fan of tuna and I haven't had it in years but this recipe does sounds super good thanks for sharing maybe I will give this one a try.

      Reply
    4. Susan P.

      August 10, 2020 at 6:10 pm

      This is one of our favorite ways to cook fresh tuna.

      Reply
    5. Antoinette M

      August 11, 2020 at 11:10 am

      I've never grilled tuna before. Looks delicious!

      Reply
    6. Laurie Nykaza

      August 20, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      I would love to try making this I love fish and snap peas too. Were using the bbq 3-4 a week right now. Will order all the ingredients to make it I can't wait to try this recipe.

      Reply
    7. KariLorr

      October 07, 2020 at 11:31 am

      I've never made tuna this way. It looks delicious, though, so I should give it a try.

      Reply
    8. Thomas Gibson

      October 07, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      5 stars
      I love grilling tuna. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    9. Mya Murphy

      October 07, 2020 at 5:08 pm

      5 stars
      This looks super good!! I love tuna!

      Reply
    10. Cheryl

      October 07, 2020 at 7:37 pm

      I've never cooked tuna steaks. These look good!

      Reply
    11. Carolsue

      October 12, 2020 at 12:38 am

      I'm not a fish eater, but this does look good!

      Reply
    12. Dana Rodriguez

      October 26, 2020 at 10:17 am

      This looks delicious!

      Reply
    13. Sarah L

      October 30, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      5 stars
      Great flavors in this dish. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    14. kathy pease

      October 31, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      This looks so yummy and I will have to try out the recipe 🙂

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Kerri Jablonski lives in Seattle WA with her husband, three kids and house cats. What you’ll find on this site: recipes we've enjoyed, movies we love, places we’ve been, tech we’ve tinkered with, clothes we’ve worn and more. Contactme@iamthemaven.com

    More about me →

    Our Favorite Recipe!

    • sliced oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread
      THE BEST oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread!

    Where we Live

    Kerri Jablonski lives in Seattle WA with her husband, three kids and house cats.

    What you’ll find on this site: recipes we've enjoyed, movies we love, places we’ve been, tech we’ve tinkered with, clothes we’ve worn and more. Email: press@iamthemaven.com

    READ MORE ABOUT KERRI

    Our favorite recipe!

    oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread

    Where we live

    Our latest

    Animal Crossing is at the Seattle Aquarium!

    Recipes and Food

    The Best refrigerator snack ideas for kids!

    asian inspired meal in black bowl with chopsticks

    General Tso’s Chicken with Spicy Noodles and Sesame Green Beans

    stack of black sesame seed shortbread on a wood board

    Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies

    See More;

    Entertainment and Technology

    Animal Crossing is at the Seattle Aquarium!

    Are You There God? It's me, Margaret.

    Netflix Family Summer ‘What to Watch’ This July!

    The Super Mario Bros. Movie 'Power Up' Edition

    Quantumania is HERE!

    MAR10 Day is March 10th!

    See More Entertainment.

    Life

    9 Dorm Life Essentials

    The Best PLAYMOBIL Sets

    Vitamins for National Men's Health Month

    See More Lifestyle

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Terms of Use/Privacy
    • Terms and Disclosure
    • Advertising

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    I am the Maven® uses affiliate marketing. When you shop through the links on our site and social media, we may earn a commission from your purchase at no cost to you.


    I am the Maven® is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    Copyright © 2023 I am the Maven®

    8 shares