Food 2025-04-23 17:35:24

Seared Tuna with Avocado

One of the benefits of having your own cooking website is that your friends and relatives start sending you recipes to try. The basis for this recipe comes by way of my cousin Laurie in Maryland (thanks Laurie!) and we've played with it a little.

It's hard to go wrong when the ingredients include cilantro, avocado, jalapeños, lime, garlic, and sushi-grade tuna. The recipe calls for lightly searing raw tuna on each side and then serving. I love tuna done this way, but the tuna has to be very high quality.

My parents, on the other hand, have no intention of ever eating raw fish, sushi-grade or not. They cook their fish all the way through, so it is a little translucent in the middle, but definitely cooked. They loved it.

Seared Tuna with Avocado

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 6 mins

Total Time 16 mins

Servings 4 servings

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded, de-ribbed, minced (if very hot, use only 1 chile)
2 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 2 to 4 limes, depending on how juicy your limes are)
1/3 cup soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if you need to avoid gluten)
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons canola oil or extra virgin olive oil
4 (6 ounce) blocks sashimi-quality tuna
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

Make the sauce:

In a bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeño, ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil and olive oil. If you want, you can purée the sauce in a blender or food processor.

Sear the tuna steaks:

Heat a large skillet on high heat for one minute. Coat the pan with the canola oil or EVOO and let heat up for 30 to 45 seconds. Sprinkle the tuna pieces with salt. Sear the tuna for a minute on each side.

Serve the tuna with sauce and avocado:

Transfer the seared tuna to a bowl and coat with some of the sauce. Pour some sauce on the plates, top with the tuna and serve with the sliced avocado and a wedge of lime.