How to cook tuna steaks perfectly: classic and clever recipes

Outlines how to cook tuna steaks perfectly in a pan or on the grill with expert tips, sauces, marinades and easy clever recipes to try out.

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Tuna is a very good source of protein. As a steak, the fish is also ideal for grilling or roasting. But there are a few things to consider for how to cook tuna steaks perfectly.

CONTENTS
How to prepare the tuna steak
Fry the fish steaks properly: Here’s how
This allows you to gently cook the fish
Sauces for your tuna steak
Preparation on the grill: recipes for the marinade

A tuna steak must not be cooked through. The fish should be browned on the outside and still rare in the middle. We’ll tell you the methods used by professionals to make the preparation a success.

Use only fresh fish

The tuna steak must be fresh. Only tuna that is also suitable for raw consumption is suitable for the cooking process. If in doubt, seek advice from a specialist salesperson. After purchasing, make sure that the cold chain is not interrupted and that the fish is processed as quickly as possible.

How to prepare the tuna steak

Before cooking, wash the fish under running water and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Choose a seasoning to suit your taste: some professionals recommend rubbing the fish with low-salt herb butter, while others roll it in crushed pepper. What you should definitely not do: salt the steaks before frying them. This removes moisture from the fish and the tuna steak becomes dry.

How to cook tuna steaks: frying pan

Heat rapeseed oil or clarified butter in a coated pan. These edible fats are particularly suitable for spicy frying. Let the tuna steaks come up to room temperature and then place the prepared tuna steaks in the hot fat. This is the best way to do it.

Fry the steaks on both sides until the fish is slightly brown in color. Finally, to sear the edges, place the steaks on edge in the pan until they are also slightly browned.

Cooking professionals recommend a cooking time of a maximum of two minutes. Accordingly, you should sear both sides for 45 seconds and the edges for a total of 30 seconds. Prepared like this, the steak has a three millimeter cooked layer on the outside, the rest inside is still pink and raw.

(Tuna should never be cooked through completely, as it dries very quickly. The palette ranges from completely raw to pale pink on the inside, although the meat inside may be lukewarm. When you press the fillet, the fish should still feel soft and elastic. Preferably leave to rest wrapped in aluminum foil.)

You should only salt the fish shortly before serving.

How to cook tuna steaks on the grill

Tuna steaks are particularly easy to cook on the grill. Rub them with a marinade beforehand and let it work in a little. A marinade can be made from soy sauce, lemon juice, rosemary and olive oil and seasoned with pepper and salt. Alternatively, you can stir together lemon juice, fresh herbs, sea salt and a little garlic to make a marinade.

How to cook tuna steaks: completing in the oven

Not everyone likes rare or even medium-rare fish. This is not a problem because you can gently finish the fish in the oven for those who like it cooked more. To do this, preheat the oven to 195F (90 degrees Celsius) and after frying, put the fish in the oven for ten minutes… So it continues to cook, but does not become tough. Note that temperatures are not high enough to kill germs. Therefore, post-cooking is only suitable for fresh fish.

Sauces for your tuna steak

Special dips and creams can round off the taste of the tuna. Garlic creams and dips or variants with soy sauce are particularly popular. But an avocado dip also goes well with the fish.

Simple recipe for a garlic sauce

For a simple garlic dip, crack open an egg yolk and mix it with crushed garlic cloves. Then add olive oil until a creamy sauce is formed. Then season with lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt – done.

Tuna steak with avocado and lime sauce

For the avocado lime sauce, do the following: Add half a teaspoon of lime zest, four tablespoons of lime juice and one chopped chilli pepper together. Strain the meat of two avocados through a sieve and mix it with the rest. Then add 100 milliliters of sour cream and season the dip with salt, pepper and, if necessary, a little wasabi.

Tuna steak recipes

Tuna steak with caper sauce garnish

ingredients for 4 servings
2lb tuna fillet (cut into 4 steaks)
1 sprig (s) of rosemary
2 pieces of bay leaves
Peppercorns
salt
olive oil

For the sauce garnish:
1 teaspoon capers
1 anchovy fillet
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp pesto
Thyme (freshly chopped, or oregano)

preparation

• For the tuna steak, remove the rosemary from the twigs and crush it with the bay leaves and peppercorns in a mortar (or cut finely and press the kernels down).
• Add olive oil, season well with salt and marinate the tuna steaks in it for at least 1 hour.
• Heat a pan vigorously and fry the drained, but still oily tuna steaks in it. Turn and brown on this side and fry to the desired cooking point.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic, capers and the anchovy fillet for the seasoning.
• Mix with pesto, freshly chopped herbs and a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the tuna steaks and spread the sauce on top.

Tuna steaks with pepper and olive salsa

ingredients for 4 servings

• 200 g wild rice mix 
• 2  little red Peppers 
• 50 g pepper filled green olives 
• 4  Tuna steaks (approx. 175 g each) 
•   Salt, black pepper 
•   oregano 
• lemon   juice 
• 3-4 tbsp oil 
• 1 pinch sugar 
• 1 tbsp butter 

preparation

1. Soak the rice in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. 
2. Wash oregano, pluck and roughly chop except for a little. 
3. Clean and wash the peppers and cut into fine cubes. 
4. Drain the olives and cut into thin slices
5. Mix the bell pepper, olives, oregano, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of oil. 
6. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. 
7. Wash the tuna and pat dry. 
8. Season with salt and pepper
9. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan. 
10. Fry the tuna vigorously for 2–3 minutes on each side, remove. 
11. Drain the rice. Mix with butter and season with pepper. 
12. Spread the salsa on the fish. Garnish with the rest of the oregano. Add rice and the rest of the salsa

Tuna steaks with Maltese sauce

ingredients for 4 people

• 1  small cauliflower 
• 1  zucchini 
• 1  onion 
• 600 g small new potatoes 
• 2 tbsp oil 
• 1 tsp Vegetable broth 
• 1  untreated orange (e.g. blood orange) 
• 100-125 g butter 
• 2  fresh egg yolks 
•    salt 
•    pepper 
• 4 Tuna steaks (approx. 150 g each) 

preparation

1. Clean the vegetables, wash them, cut into florets, or halve lengthways and cut into slices. 
2. Peel onion and chop finely.
3. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and cut in half if necessary. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. 
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan (with a lid). Fry the onion and zucchini in it, remove. 
5. Briefly sauté the cauliflower in the frying fat. 
6. Add 200 ml of water and stock. Bring to the boil and cook covered for 8-10 minutes. 
7. Add zucchini and onions and sauté briefly.
8. For the Maltese sauce, wash the orange in hot water, cut in half. First rub off the skin of one half, then squeeze out. Cut the other half into slices. 
9. Heat butter over low heat. Bring to the boil briefly, skim and let cool down a little. 
10. Beat egg yolks and juice in a hot water bath until frothy. Stir in the liquid butter in a thin stream.  Add the orange peel to taste
11. Wash the tuna, pat dry. Fry in 1 tablespoon of hot oil for 3-4 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. 
12. Drain the potatoes, mix with the vegetables. 
13. Arrange everything with the sauce and garnish.