How to cook tuna steak (2024)

Tuna has a meaty firm flesh and a rich, strong flavour due to its high oil content. Because tuna is oily, the flesh goes off more quickly than some other fish, so buy it as fresh as you can. Tuna will have already been skinned, boned and cut into portions when you buy it, making it a very easy fish to use as there's minimal prep to be done other than adding flavour – and it’s exceptionally fast to cook.

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Buying

Tuna is mainly sold as steaks. You may also see strips of loin for making sushi and sashimi, and paler ventresca steaks (toro in Japanese) which are cut from the fatty belly. Look for firm, dense red or dark red flesh when buying tuna loin or steaks, and make sure it is from a sustainable source – check the Marine Stewardship Council website for the latest advice. Choose thicker steaks as these will cook far better (see below).

How to cook tuna

Tuna dries out quite quickly and turns crumbly, so it should be cooked very briefly over a high heat in a frying pan, on a griddle or over a barbecue; or cooked under oil (confit), sous vide or simmered in a sauce. Tuna can be served cooked to rare, or cooked to a crust on the outside and raw in the centre, known as tataki in Japan. Pan-frying or griddling make this easier to control.

Because tuna has a fairly robust flavour, you can easily add herbs, spices and flavours to it without worrying about overwhelming the taste. Marinating tuna steaks will add flavour to the surface, but won’t make it any juicier – keeping a close eye on your steak while cooking is the only way to make sure it won’t dry out.

Pan-fried tuna steaks recipe

Serves 2

Griddled tuna steaks recipe

Serves 2

2 thick tuna steaks
olive oil for brushing

Brush the tuna steaks lightly with oil, and season.
Put the tuna steaks into a heated griddle pan over a high heat (the pan must be very hot) and allow to cook for 1-2 mins depending on how thick the tuna steaks are. If you want to make a crisscross pattern on the surface, rotate the tuna by 90 degrees halfway through.
Turn over carefully and cook in the same way for 1 min. Look at the side of the tuna to see how far through it is cooked, but remember it will keep cooking for a short while when taken off the heat. Cook for a little longer if you prefer. Rest for a couple of mins before serving.