Spicy Seared Tuna

This easy recipe for spicy seared tuna adds a little bit of heat in the form of a spicy mayonnaise sauce. It’s both incredibly flavorful and so simple to make! The perfect seafood supper.

Why we love this recipe

I am all about searing my seafood (hello, seared scallops!) for so many reasons! It’s quick, it works with almost every kind of seafood, and it adds an additional fabulous seared flavor to your fish. 

This spicy seared tuna is a particular favorite, because the spiciness comes via the easy sauce, which you can drizzle on liberally if you like things extra spicy (the Southern husband) or sparingly if you are spiciness wimp (me).

Ready to sear up some scrumptious tuna?  Let’s make it!

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

How to make this recipe

You want a nice thick tuna steak, which you are going to marinate in a bath of soy sauce and lime juice and sesame oil.  When you are ready to cook it up, you want to sear it in a really hot hot hot pan for a couple of minutes a side.  Or even just one minute if you like your tuna super rare. 🙋🏼‍♀️

And now ere comes my regular plea for you to get yourself a cast iron pan, which is the perfect pan for something like this.

The sauce is as simple as mixing up a little mayo with some hot sauce – you can use Sriracha, Tabasco or any hot sauce your heart desires (we are currently in love with a sweet ginger chili sauce that is on the milder side).  

When the tuna is done, slice it up and drizzle it with the amount of spicy sauce that is right for your lucky diners.  Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and some scallions and you are good to go.

We had ours on a bed of cauliflower rice, which is my new favorite thing, and which also adds a veggie to this dish.  Rice, pasta and farro are also wonderful additions to this scrumptious seared tuna recipe.

Other tuna recipes we love!

Looking for more seafood inspiration? Here is our complete collection of seafood recipes!

Could you leave us a review?

If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.

Spicy Seared Tuna

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This easy recipe for spicy seared tuna adds a little bit of heat in the form of a spicy mayonnaise sauce. It’s both incredibly flavorful and so simple to make! The perfect seafood supper.

• Author: Kate
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Asian
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha or other hot sauce
• 1 pound tuna steak (sushi grade if you can get it!)
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• Sesame seeds for garnish
• Chopped scallions for garnish

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Instructions

1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a zippered plastic bag.  Add tuna steak and marinate for 3 hours and up to overnight.
2. Make the sauce by stirring together the mayo and the hot sauce (you can use more or less hot sauce depending on how spicy you like things!).
3. When you are ready to cook, add the canola oil to a skillet (a cast iron skillet is perfect for this) and heat over high heat until the oil is smoking hot.  Add the tuna steak (discard the marinade) and sear for 1-2 minutes per side for rare, or longer if you like your tuna more well done.
4. Remove tuna, slice and serve drizzled with the sauce.

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