Sesame-Crusted Tuna Steaks
Thick ahi tuna steaks pressed into sesame seeds and seared hard for a toasty crust, sliced and served with a ginger-lime dipping sauce and a crunchy smashed cucumber salad.
Nutrition per serving
1 tuna steak + cucumber salad- Net carbs
- 4.7g
- Calories
- 341kcal
- Protein
- 45g
- Fat
- 15g
- Total carbs
- 6.4 g
- Fiber
- 1.7 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Sesame-crusted salmon: Salmon fillets with the same toasty sesame crust, cooked through until just flaky. Leftovers keep a day longer than rare tuna.
- Coat the top and bottom of the fillets in sesame seeds. Sear 3–4 minutes on the first side over medium heat until golden, flip and cook 3–4 minutes more, until the salmon reaches 145°F (63°C) and flakes easily.
Peppercorn-crusted (au poivre): A bold crust of cracked black peppercorns instead of sesame — a steakhouse-style tuna that is great with the ginger-lime sauce.
- Press the cracked pepper firmly into both flat sides of the steaks — it is a thinner coat than the seeds, and strong — and sear exactly as written.
- Tuna
- Ginger-lime sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Nice to have (optional)
- Tuna
- Ginger-lime sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Nice to have (optional)
- Tuna
- Ginger-lime sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $23.42 for 4 servings ($5.86 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
For the salad, lay the cucumber on a board and whack it along its length with the flat of a large knife or a rolling pin until it cracks open, then cut it into bite-size pieces. Toss with the ¼ tsp salt and let drain in a sieve for 10 minutes, then toss with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper flakes.
-
Whisk the tamari, lime juice, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame oil and green onion for the dipping sauce.
-
Pat the tuna very dry and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate and press both flat sides of each steak firmly into them to coat.
-
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear the tuna 1–1½ minutes per side for rare, until the seeds are golden and a thin band of opaque, cooked fish shows at the edges. Sesame seeds burn quickly, so don’t let the pan smoke heavily.
-
For fully cooked tuna, lower the heat to medium after flipping and cook 3–4 minutes more per side, until it reaches 145°F (63°C) and is opaque throughout. It will be firmer and drier than rare tuna, but the sauce helps.
-
Rest 2 minutes, slice ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick with a sharp knife and serve with the dipping sauce and cucumber salad.
Tips for success
-
Rare seared tuna is traditional, but only cook it that way with fish sold as sushi- or sashimi-grade by a fishmonger you trust, eaten the day you buy it. Pregnant people, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system should choose the fully cooked option. - Thicker steaks give a better contrast between crust and center. Steaks under ¾ inch (2 cm) cook through almost instantly.
- Black and white sesame seeds together look striking, but either one works on its own.
Nice to have, not needed
- A cast-iron skillet gives the fastest, deepest sear — any heavy pan works if you preheat it well.
- A very sharp knife slices through the crust without tearing it — a serrated knife is the next best thing.
Storage & meal prep
- Best eaten fresh
Reheat: Best eaten fresh; fully cooked leftovers are good cold, sliced over greens with the sauce.
Prep tip: Make the dipping sauce up to 3 days ahead; the cucumber salad and the tuna are best made just before eating.
Rare tuna is best eaten the day it’s cooked. Fully cooked leftovers keep up to 2 days in the fridge — eat them cold. The cucumber salad is best within a day.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosSesame-crusted salmon
ProteinSalmon fillets with the same toasty sesame crust, cooked through until just flaky. Leftovers keep a day longer than rare tuna.
- ahi tuna steaks (6 oz / 170 g each, about 1 inch / 2.5 cm thick) → skinless salmon fillets (6 oz / 170 g each)
4.7 g net · 509 kcal · 38 g protein · 37 g fat · ≈$5.11 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Peppercorn-crusted (au poivre)
FlavorA bold crust of cracked black peppercorns instead of sesame — a steakhouse-style tuna that is great with the ginger-lime sauce.
- sesame seeds (white, black or a mix) → black peppercorns
4.8 g net · 297 kcal · 43 g protein · 10 g fat · ≈$5.70 per serving (+0.1 g net carbs vs the original)
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