Quick Seared Sesame Crusted Tuna
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If you’re looking for a restaurant-quality meal you can whip up in your own kitchen in under 20 minutes, you’ve found it. This sesame-crusted tuna is crispy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside, and packed with bold, savory flavors. It’s the perfect balance of crunchy sesame seeds, seared tuna, and a punchy dipping sauce that makes every bite feel special — without the takeout price tag.
Whether you’re impressing dinner guests or just treating yourself to something fresh and protein-packed, this tuna is shockingly easy to make and guaranteed to level up your weeknight dinner routine.
Serve this with a side of ponzu sauce and wasabi or serve over a bed of leafy green, white rice or noodles. Keep it low carb by throwing it over an arugula salad with this low calorie peanut sauce dressing.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 43 grams of protein.
- Healthy fatty acids from tuna.
- Easy way to prepare a fancy and elegant meal.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this sesame-crusted tuna recipe. See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Sushi Grade Tuna: sushi grade tuna is the highest quality you can find because it’s been inspected and graded and is safe to consume raw. If you can only find frozen, defrost by leaving in fridge overnight. Do not defrost in the microwave. You can use your favorite: yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, ahi tuna steaks or bluefin tuna are all great options.
- Soy Sauce: or coconut aminos.
- Sesame Seed Oil: or extra virgin olive oil.
- White Sesame Seeds: the sesame seed crust uses a combination of black and white seeds. You can use one or the other, or both.
- Black Sesame Seeds: instead of the sesame seeds for the crunchy crust, try Everything But The Bagel Seasoning.
- Olive Oil
- Optional Garnishes: fresh squeezed lemon juice or lime juice, ponzu sauce, green onions.
Variations
- Sprinkle chile flakes or Aleppo pepper onto your tuna after basting it with soy sauce.
- You can cube your tuna into thick slices prior to cooking, but it’s a little harder to cook this way and will result in a lot of sesame seeds falling off.
- Add wasabi sauce when serving for some spice.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is both gluten and dairy-free.
How to make this pan-seared tuna (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: prepare the tuna
Cover 2 small trays or plates with plastic wrap and pat the tuna dry with paper towels. Place the tuna on one tray and brush both sides of the tuna steak with the soy sauce (image 1). Repeat this step with the sesame seed oil. Using the plastic wrap on your tray, wrap the tuna tightly and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to marinate.
Step 2: add sesame seeds
Place sesame seeds in the other prepared tray or a shallow bowl, making sure it evenly coats the bottom. Remove the tuna from the fridge and place on top of the sesame seeds (image 2). You can scoop the seeds over and wrap the seeds around the tuna using the plastic wrap to cover all sides except one short edge. This will help you determine how cooked the tuna is on each side.
In a medium pan or cast-iron skillet, heat your oil on medium high. Place the tuna into the hot skillet and cook for 1- 2 minutes until the sesame crust is lightly golden brown (image 3). You can check the doneness of each side by looking at the side of your tuna that isn’t covered in seeds. It should be about ⅛ – ¼ inch cooked on all sides. With a pair of tongs, gently flip the tuna and repeat on the other side as well as the edges.
Step 3: garnish and serve
Place the tuna on a cutting board and slice against the grain into strips (image 4). Serve and garnish with scallions and your favorite dipping sauce (image 5). Eat as is or serve with your favorite side. We recommend a salad, rice, or noodles. Enjoy!
Expert Tips!
Square-up your tuna by cutting off irregular ends. This helps to get even browning on all sides. Chilling the tuna slightly after cooking will help it cut more beautifully and easily.
Recipe FAQs
The tuna will last in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Serve with your favorite sauces, make into a salad or serve over noodles or rice. I like to spice it up with a little wasabi paste on the side.
Sushi-grade tuna is the best you can get. Use any type of tuna you can find, ahi is usually my go-to and is generally the most popular. If you can only find it frozen, allow the fish to defrost overnight. Do not thaw in the microwave.
Check out our other easy recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Sesame Seed Crusted Tuna
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. fresh tuna, sushi grade *see notes
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
- 3 Tbsp. white sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds
- 2 tsp. olive oil
Optional Garnishes
- scallions, finely sliced
- ponzu sauce
- lime
Optional Sides
- green salad
- white rice
- cold or warm noodles
Instructions
- Cover 2 small trays or plates with plastic wrap and pat the tuna dry with paper towels.
- Place the tuna on one tray and brush both sides with the soy sauce. Repeat this step with the sesame seed oil. Using the plastic wrap on your tray, wrap the tuna tightly and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to marinate.
- Combine the black and white sesame seeds in the other prepared tray, making sure it evenly coats the bottom.
- Remove the tuna from the fridge and place on top of the sesame seeds. You can scoop the seeds over and wrap the seeds around the tuna using the plastic wrap to cover all sides except one short edge. This will help you determine how cooked the tuna is on each side.
- In a medium pan, heat your oil on medium high. Place the tuna into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sesame crust is lightly browned. You can check the doneness of each side by looking at the side of your tuna that isn’t covered in seeds. It should be about ⅛ – ¼ inch cooked on all sides. With tongs, gently flip the tuna and repeat on the other side as well as the edges.
- Place the tuna on a cutting board and slice against the grain into strips.
- Serve and garnish with scallions and ponzu. Eat as is or serve with your favorite side. We recommend a salad, rice, or noodles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Weigh your final cooked tuna and divide by 4 for the most accurate grams and oz. per serving.
- Sushi grade tuna is best for this recipe. Sometimes you can find sushi grade tuna, but it’s been frozen. To defrost, leave in your fridge overnight. Do not defrost in the microwave.
- Chilling the tuna slightly after cooking will help it cut more beautifully and easily.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
