Sesame Grilled Tuna

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

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

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

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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

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.

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