Seared tuna steaks
We barbecue everything, and we barbecue all year long – whether it’s snowing, raining or the sun is shining. There’s nothing like the flavour of something hot off the grill. We have a great barbecue, I bought it for my husband from the boys for Father’s Day the year we moved into this house. I even assembled it for him. But the fact is, I like using it just as much as he does – and I’ve got quite the knack for cooking with fire. The kids will eat anything off of the grill.
Anything.
One of the simplest, fastest dishes I make on the grill is Seared Tuna Steaks. I first tried this dish in Jaco Beach in Costa Rica about 16 years ago, and have since had it in a few restaurants, but my version is my fave. Just 2, maybe 3 ingredients, this takes all of 20 minutes from marinade to table.
What you need:
– Tuna steaks (one per person)
– Soy sauce
– wasabi or hosreradish dijon mustard (optional)
What you do:
Get a baking dish that is big enough to put all of the tuna steaks flat into the bottom of the dish, in a single layer. Pour a quarter inch of soy into the dish. Turn barbecue on high while they marinate. Flip the tuna steaks over and let other side marinate until the barbecue is nice and hot.
Cooking is fast work and a little finicky. You need to cook each steak for 1 to 2 minutes per side, plus the edges. Put them down and close the lid. After a minute turn them to create cross-hatch marks. Flip and do the same on the other side. After both sides are cooked, turn one side down to low. Put the finished steaks on the upper shelf on the low heat side while you use tongs to hold the tuna steak up so that you can sear it around the edges. Do this for all steaks. outsides will be cooked and meaty looking, but when you cut into the steaks, they should look cooked about a centimetre or two around the outside, but completely pink through the middle. It’s so deliciously tender with the rare centre.
Serve it hot – these cook quickly. Or serve them cooled. You can serve the tuna steaks whole, or slice them into thin strips, almost like half-cooked sashimi. The flavour is amazing on its own, or you can serve it with a side of wasabi soy: Mix wasabi with soy in a small bowl or ramekin. The amount of wasabi depends on how much heat you like. For a different kind of a kick, serve with horseradish dijon. I’m addicted to Kozlik’s Horseradish Dijon, but you can mix your own (or order one – it’s worth it!! Their other flavours, like curried dijon or lime and honey dijon are pretty mouthwatering too, a good pairing for Tuna Steaks.)
