Tuna Steak Recipe

By Patrick Mooney

A good tuna steak recipe can involve grilling or searing. Just remember to get the freshest tuna you can find.

Name That Tuna

Tuna is one of the most popular fish in the world, finding its way onto the table in just about any country that borders on an ocean. Varieties of tuna can be found swimming around the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Pacific oceans.

There are over 48 different species of tuna but only a handful of those species end up as dinner. Some species of tuna, such as the bluefin and the big eye, have been over-fished and are no longer legal to catch in some regions. Others, like the albacore and the yellow fin, are eaten every day. If you are eating tuna that has come from a can, you are eating either albacore or skipjack. If, however, your tuna is in the form of a nice red steak, then you are more than likely eating a yellow fin tuna, sometimes called Ahi. Other tunas that you may find available are the blackfin, southern bluefin, and the longfin.

No matter which tuna steak recipe you decide to serve, be sure you get the freshest tuna you can. The flesh should be firm and not slimy and the tuna should have very little smell, if any at all. Fish with a strong smell should not be used. I cannot express strongly enough how important it is to go to a reliable fishmonger when buying your tuna. Some tuna is treated with carbon monoxide, just like the stuff that spews out of your car's tail pipe, and once treated the tuna steaks stay bright red no matter how old the fish gets. In order to avoid carbon monoxide treated fish, take the time to talk to your fishmonger and find out how old the tuna is, when it came in, and when it was cut before you buy the fish.

Tuna Steak Recipes

Grilled Tuna Steak

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 4-ounce Tuna steaks
¼ cup of fresh orange juice
¼ cup of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon of fresh oregano, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, parsley, oregano, pepper, and garlic in a large bowl.
Put the tuna into the bowl and turn to coat.
Cover and let the tuna marinate in your refrigerator for no less that a half an hour.
If you have a gas grill, set the grill for high. If you are using coals, get them good and hot.
Using a towel or a paper towel, coat the grill with olive oil.
Cook the tuna teaks for 5 minutes on the first side.
Then, turn the tuna steaks over and grill for 5 minutes more on the second side.

Tuna Carpaccio Salad

This recipe works best with a tail section of tuna steak but can be done with any tuna steak that you happen to have on hand.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 4-ounce tuna steaks
1/2 cup of fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/2 cup of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
1 bag of your favorite salad mix or you can make your own fresh tossed salad

Instructions

Mix the chopped herbs and pepper well in a bowl.
Roll the tuna steaks in the herb mix until all sides are well coated with the herb mix.
If you are grilling the tuna steaks, make sure the grill is very hot or you could use a heavy pan over a medium high flame.
Using a towel or a paper towel, coat the grill with olive oil. If you are using a pan, pour enough oil into the pan to just coat it.
Cook each side of the tuna steaks for about 2 minutes.
Let the steaks cool while you prepare the salad for each plate.
Slice the tuna steaks into ¼ inch slices.
Top the salad with the tuna steak slices.
This goes great with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.