Published 5/31/2022 • Updated 10/24/2023 In this post, we’ll teach you all about ahi tuna along with tips and tricks in how to make perfectly cooked seared ahi tuna every time. Ahi tuna steaks are a wonderful protein to sear up to eat in tacos or a poke bowl. This seared ahi tuna recipe is made with a delicious marinade and sesame seeds. It’s quickly seared on the outside, leaving the inside rare and delicious.

What is ahi tuna?

Ahi tuna AKA yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in tropical oceans worldwide. Ahi is a Hawaiian word that refers to a similar species of tuna – bigeye tuna. Ahi tuna is typically eaten totally raw or seared on just the outside with a rare inside because the texture is so wonderful and it’s safe to eat raw.

Where to Buy Ahi Tuna

We’ll mention this a few times in this post, but when consuming raw or rare ahi tuna, we recommend buying a sushi-grade tuna. The best place to find this at your local grocery store is at the butcher where you can speak to someone about the quality of their fish.

calories: 120 fat: 1g protein: 28g carbs: 0g sugar: 0g fiber: 0g

If you can’t find fresh ahi tuna, it’s frozen ahi tuna is widely available and can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores.

How to Purchase Ahi Tuna

Ahi tuna is typically sold as ahi tuna steaks at most grocery stores or butchers. You can also find frozen ahi tuna steaks, which can be thawed and prepared.

Easy Seared Tuna Steak

When it comes to fish, ahi tuna is queen (and king). There is just something about the flavor and texture of ahi tuna that doesn’t even compare to any other fish! Marinate this ahi tuna for 30 minutes and then the cook time is less than 5 minutes. We’re not joking, you’ll have delicious and flavorful ahi tuna in no time.

Ahi Tuna Marinade

For this seared ahi tuna recipe, we wanted the tuna to be seasoned with a flavorful zing, so we used the following ingredients:

Soy sauce Red chili sauce Fresh grated ginger Lime juice

Marinating Ahi Tuna – How to Do it

To make sure the ahi tuna had time to marinate in all this goodness, we mixed all these ingredients up in a mason jar and gave it a good shake to mix it all together. Place the raw ahi tuna in a Stasher bag (any sealable plastic bag will work!) and pour the marinade in with it before placing it in the fridge laying flat to allow the tuna to soak it up for at least 30 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

You can eat your ahi tuna on tacos, in a bowl, or by itself with one of the delicious sides below!

Wasabi Hoisin Garlic Butter Sesame oil Honey Fish sauce Mirin Tamarind paste

First, you’ll want to make sure your skillet is hot hot hot. We’re talking set to medium/high with enough time to fully heat up. You’ll know your skillet is good to go when the olive oil is fragrant. Place 1 tuna steak in the skillet and adhere to the following cook times depending on how well done you like your seared ahi tuna:

Rare: 30 seconds per side Medium rare: 1 minute per side Well done: 2 minutes per side

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How to store ahi tuna

Store your seared ahi tuna in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Ahi Tuna Recipes

Looking for more ahi tuna recipes? Here are some of our favorites below!

Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl Ahi Tuna Tacos Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 81Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 21Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 7Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 9Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 43Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 27Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 54Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 86Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 40Seared Ahi Tuna  with soy marinade   - 20