Seared Ahi Tuna

Background: In the late ’90s, I worked in a fusion restaurant that served seared rare ahi (aka yellowfin) tuna. I am fortunate enough to have a fish counter that stocks very high quality frozen tuna steaks that are supposedly “sashimi grade.” I know this is just marketing and that it probably means they were flash frozen on the boat. But given that I live in an inland city, that will have to do. I keep one of these steaks in the freezer for when I want to party like it’s 1999.

1. Keep a high-quality, thick, frozen yellowfin tuna steak in the freezer.
2. Thaw and briefly marinade the steaks in soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. Place in a ripping hot cast skillet until the bottom is seared.
4. Flip once and sear the other side.
5. Monitor the temp.
6. Pull it from the pan at 75 degrees in the center.
7. Let it rest on a cutting board and carryover until it reaches 90 degrees.
8. Slice and serve with something acidic to cut the salt and oil.

Why It Works

1. You want it thick because you want to be able to sear it without cooking it through. You want to frozen so you can pull it from the freezer and thaw it to the desired coldness so that a seared outside/raw inside is still possible.
2. The oil and soy sauce will work together to help create the sear and protect the meat.
3. Cast iron retains heat better and can get hotter that stainless steel. This is why it is good for searing.
4. This will go quickly.
5. You want a good kitchen thermometer for this. I like the Thermapen.
6. If you don’t like sushi, then you might not like it this rare.
7. Meat will continue to cook after it’s removed from the heat. So if you do like it rare, you want to pull it earlier than you want. A rest always helps meat anyway.
8. A simple squeeze of lime will suffice, but you could also make a ponzu.

Mods:

1. Serve on a salad with a hearty crispy lettuce, nori strips, toasted sesame seeds and a miso-based dressing.
2. Serve over cilantro, mint, thai basil rice with sliced avocado and ponzu slaw. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
3. Serve on Hawaiian sweet rolls with wasabi mayo.