Tuna Steaks rare


 
M

Mike Bustillo

New member
I'm a fan of all types of seafood, but I mainly only do hot-smoked salmon at home with my Weber kettle. In my past life (before I got my kettle), I used to do quite a bit of scallops and shrimp on my gas grill.

Does anybody have any good ideas on the tuna steak? I've eaten it lots of times and I like it myself, never tried cooking it--I've actually always wondered if the stuff at the store is even good enough quality for rare steak.

I'm looking for a recipe for the crust, what type of charcoal, marinade, any tips. Thanks--
 
Hi Mike - welcome!

I always shop at a seafood store for fresh fish, and when buying tuna to sear I make sure to get "sushi quality" as opposed to "grilling quality" tuna".

There are several different "crusts" that I've used, from an herb mix to a blend of crushed peppercorns. I usually put a very thin coat of olive oil on to help the seasonings stick to the fish, then sear it very quickly on each side.

I like to use lump charcoal in the chimney starter and place the grate directly on the chimney, just a few inches above the top of the hot coals. If I'm cooking for more than one or two I just get a good and hot lump bed going in the kettle and do pretty much the same thing.
 
I did tuna steaks for the first time this past weekend.

The recipe was fairly simple: Marinade the fish, then sear it on a super-hot grill. To make the marinade, I gently heated some olive oil and garlic just enough for the garlic to become fragrant. Add thyme, basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice. After it has cooled, marinade the fish for a couple of hours.

My ahi tuna wasn't anything special (I guess it's "grilling grade", but it was almost 2" thick so I cut it in half with a sharp slicing knife.

The fish seared up perfectly on my Genesis, but I made a mistake not letting the fish warm up a little out of the fridge. It was a little rarer in the center due to that oversight, but still tasted great.

In the marinade:
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After grilling:
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Plated:
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I made this last night. I just use frozen tuna from Sam's club and used the following marinade. It is quite tasty.

2 Tbs Soy sauce
2 Tbs Dark sesame oil
1 Tbs Sriracha chili sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs minced ginger
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Green onion, sliced
1 Serrano chili, diced

I combine everything and let the tuna marinade in a ziploc bag on the kitchen counter for one hour, turning every fifteen minutes to make sure everything is covered well.

I cook on a hot non-stick skillet for about 45 seconds per side, then remove and slice each fillet along the grain into large pieces to slow the cooking. Then, I take the marinade and boil it in the skillet for a couple of minutes.

I usually eat this with jasmine rice and broccoli. The heated marinade can be poured over the tuna or served on the side. I also serve fresh thinly sliced serrano or jalapeno peppers.
 
Search youtube for Chimney Loin Tuna. It's a good, simple, easy recipe for grilled tuna. You can cook it on any hot grill, you don't have to copy Alton's chimney method. I use tuna steaks, not loin like he does. The exact recipe is on foodnetwork.com.

Some of my local grocery stores have decent fish. When they're on sale I ask the guy behind the counter to get me some frozen steaks from the back. They're vacuum sealed and frozen on the boat, the stuff in the glass case are just the samples they already defrosted. I defrost them in the sink before cooking, while still in the vacuum sealed package.
 
I like to grill lots of different fish according to a recipe from "The Classic Italian Cookbook", by Marcella Hazan.

Basically:
-Put the fish on a plate, and
-Squeeze some fresh lemon over it
-dab it with a drizzle of Olive Oil
*Optional: Add a little fresh Rosemary (finely chopped / crushed)
-Flop it around to coat both sides, then
-Add about 2 Tablespoons of dry bread crumbs and dredge both sides and the edges. This gives it a light "crust" that adds flavor when it gets a little scorched at the edges / grill lines.

Flop it on a HOT grill - about 3 minutes per side for a chunk around 3/4-inch thick.

I usually get fresh Ahi tuna from our local market / don't really need sushi-grade, unless you like it REALLY rare.

Also works great with nearly any firm-flesh fish (swordfish - use the Rosemary / Mahi-Mahi - I usually omit the Rosemary)

Try it! It's simple and I think you'll like it.
 
I really like to do them on the chimney. Super intense heat, very little time. My favorite seasoning these days is the Valentina powder I buy at a local mexican grocery store. Great stuff!
 
I like it simple. Good quality tuna coated with evoo and sesame seeds grilled rare over a hot as possible fire. Served with wasabi and dark soy
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">like it simple. Good quality tuna coated with evoo and sesame seeds grilled rare over a hot as possible fire. Served with wasabi and dark soy </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Like John sais, I also like to keep it simple. Lightly rub with evoo, then coat with a mixture of freshly crushed brown mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Grill and serve!

Ray
 
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