Cooking tuna steaks?

[Kelly]

What's the best way to cook a tuna steak? Can I put it on the grill or should I bake it? Also, what are the best seasonings to put on it?

Thanks!

[Gail]

I'm a firm believer in grilling-- either one of the ribbed stovetop varieties that cover two burners or outside on the barbecue. Being totally Southern Californian, I kinda like it on the barbecue with mesquite, and just a touch of butter or margarine sprinkled with a little paprika.

Or, try this one:


SEARED TUNA WITH GREEN ONION-WASABI SAUCE

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons wasabi powder (horseradish powder)
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon dry Sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons oriental sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
4 green onions, very thinly sliced

4 6-ounce ahi tuna steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut into matchstick-size strips
1/2 cup radish sprouts

Whisk 1/2 cup water and wasabi powder in medium bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, Sherry, sesame oil and ginger. Stir in green onions. Set aside.

Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add tuna and sear until opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side.

Spoon cucumber onto center of plates. Top with tuna. Spoon sauce around. Garnish with radish sprouts.


Serves 4.


Bon Appétit
June 1998

Reviews:

A Cook from Silver Spring, Maryland on 06/09/00
This was a really great dish -- delicious and easy to prepare. I served it at a dinner party and my friends were really impressed. A few things, though -- At first I followed the recipe and tried using the 3 tablespoons of wasabi powder -- it was WAY too much. I had to start over. I used the suggestion of adding teriaki sauce and doubling the ginger and green onion and that worked well. I will definitely add this to my list of favorites!
stefanie bishop ( roadkiller@worldnet.att.net ) from nashville,TN on 05/24/00
this is one of the best recipes i have made. my husband and i liked it so much we made it twice in one week!
A Cook from Sydney, Australia on 05/08/00
We love Japanese food, so this lightly seared tuna with it's pink sashimi centre, was devoured with a sumo's enthusiasm. Its quick and healthy, like a sumo wrestler, but with less fat!
A Cook from La Jolla, CA on 04/11/00
We've made this a number of times and the recipe gets requested each and every time! Would suggest cutting down on the water by 1/2-the sauce is a litle too watery as is. It's also great if you sear the tuna on a grill-less mess. A definite winner!
A Cook from Atlanta, GA on 04/06/00
This was an awesome meal. One thing we did different was to cut the wasabi in half. We used 4tsp in the receipe and 1tsp. for the plate, it was WONDERFUL! You must serve this meal immediately when the sauce is hot and the Tuna is warm off the grill or out of the oven, or else serve as a salad. If you plan to eat the tuna hot, have you guests prepared to dig in! Otherwise, the Tuna is cold!!!

There are a lot more reviews and tips on the Epicurious.com site. Happy cooking!

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-30-2000).]

[Vanessa]

This is another idea....
Tuna With Five Spice Soy Glaze
Soy Glaze
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
1/4 cup sherry
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup fish or chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
2 teaspoons Five-spice powder
pinch black pepper

In a medium saute pan heat oil until very hot add garlic, shallots, and ginger. Saute until you can smell the aroma. Add sherry and bring up to a boil. Add honey and chicken stock and bring up to a boil and reduce a bit. Add soy sauce, chili sauce, and black pepper. Set aside to cool.

To Assemble
4 (6 ounce) ahi tuna steaks
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
soy glaze

Place tuna steaks in soy glaze. Place oil in a very large saute pan and heat until smoking hot! remove the steaks from the glace and place in pan. Cook each side of the tuna for about 2-3 minutes each depending on the thickness of the steaks. Tuna should be served rare. The more it cooks the drier it will become. You may baste the tuna as it cooks. Serve tuna immediately.

[Kristilyn1]

I love tuna on the gril as well. I marinate it in lemon, a little butter and parsley and dill. The key is to not overcook on the grill. Tuna should be barely coming apart to be done. Overcooked, grilled tuna will swear you off it forever--it gets soooo dry.

Kristi

[Beth]

I'm going to save Gail and Vanessa's recipes to try, but in a pinch, marinade in teriyaki sauce and grill (bought or made). When in doubt, lemon and herbs work with any seafood I can think of.

[Kelly]

Hi All - I thought I would pass on the way that we ended up cooking the tuna steaks; my guest brought her own mix of seasonings & it was great.

She marinated it in a small amount of oil & vinegar for about 2 hours. She then covered it with a mixture of black pepper, white pepper, salt, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and cajun seasoning; the mixture was made to taste - no exact measurements. We put it on the grill 6 minutes each side. It was great!!

[Pat58]

Our simple favorite: marinate in Angostura Low Sodium Teryaki sauce for 30 minutes or longer, turning. Sprinkle liberally with black pepper and grill over high heat, but be sure it's a little pink in center.

Perfect Accompaniment: Quarter a fresh pineapple right through the leaves and grill until each side has nice marks on it. Serve with Near East Tomato Lentil Couscous and sliced cherry tomatoes & cucumber.