Seared Tuna Summer Salad
Sesame crusted seared tuna over fresh summer greens, with avocado, oranges, cucumber, julienned carrots and cilantro, topped with a fresh tangy dressing!?! I’m in heaven. This was so delicious! Previously on a trip to Boston for work and we went to a restaurant where I ordered a salad similar to this, but they served it with shrimp. I loved it so much that I came home and recreated a version of it. I decided to use tuna instead as I had some in my freezer to use for a special occasion – I don’t eat it/other fish very often seeing as we are overfishing our oceans, but a couple times a year I do let myself enjoy it.
This seared tuna summer salad is super delicious, easy to make, and hits the savory/tangy/sweet spot we all know I love. If you’re not into tuna, see my notes below to get some substitute ideas! Hope you like it!
Notes
For those that follow my food blog – it’s been a minute (as the Americans say)! I’ve had a busy start to the year with a new job, as well as being given a commission painting to do! It’s taking way longer than expected, but I’m enjoying every minute of it. I can’t believe how time flies, and my last post was back in October! I have so many recipes I want to get on here, but we can only do so much with the time we have, and we need to be gentle with ourselves.
Now – back to the topic on hand, which is this super delicious seared tuna summer salad. It’s tangy, sweet, savory and light – yet surprisingly I felt full for quite some time despite there being little to not carbs. Portion size mentions 2-3 (this is more of a starter size), but as a main this is good for 2 people.
Tuna – I love seared tuna, but I see it as a treat, and not something I am eating weekly, or even monthly. For many reasons, it’s not something I will eat often: One being we are overfishing our oceans and all need to be conscious of how much seafood we are consuming. Two, raw fish does come with heavy metals and parasites, so our bodies become overexposed when eating it too often. That being said, we can still treat ourselves, we just have to be conscious about it. Therefore, eat raw fish such as tuna rarely and don’t over consume. On the topic of overfishing our oceans (and thus seeing the breakdown of biodiversity) you can learn more about this here, on the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy. It’s a hard pill to swallow when you learn more about the truth of the fishing industry, but none of us can afford to turn a blind eye much longer.
If you’re not a fan of tune, you can substitute with wild caught shrimp/prawns. If you don’t like seafood/don’t eat it at all, sliced beef or chicken could also work in this salad.
What You’ll Need
Salad
- 3-4 oz spring mix, lightly shredded
- 3/4 cup julienned carrots
- 1 orange, peeled, divided into individual sections and halved or quartered
- 1 cup cubed cucumber
- handful fresh coriander (optional)
- 1/2 cup fried shallots (optional, but gives a great crunch)
- avocado oil
- 1/3 cup black and white sesame seed mixed
- 6-8 oz room temp tuna steak
- 1 tsp soy
- salt
- chili flakes (optional)
Dressing
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 fresh squeezed lime
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 tbsp sugar (I use brown)
- pinch of salt
Seared Tuna Summ
- Total Time: 40
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Description
Sesame crusted seared tuna over fresh summer greens, with avocado, oranges, julienned carrots and cilantro, topped with a fresh tangy dressing
Ingredients
Salad
- 3–4 oz spring mix, lightly shredded
- 3/4 cup julienned carrots
- 1 orange, peeled, divided into individual sections and halved or quartered
- 1 cup cubed cucumber
- handful fresh coriander (optional)
- 1/2 cup fried shallots (optional, but gives a great crunch)
- avocado oil
- 1/3 cup black and white sesame seed mixed
- 6–8 oz room temp tuna steak
- 1 tsp soy
- salt
- chili flakes (optional)
Dressing
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 fresh squeezed lime
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 tbsp sugar (I use brown)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
- Pat your room temperature tuna dry with a kitchen towel and baste the soy sauce on front, back and sides. On a flat dinner plate, add your sesame seeds and spread out to evenly cover the surface. I like to cut my steak in half at this stage for easier handling and bite sizes, but it’s up to you. Coat the tuna by placing the steaks on the sesame seeds, they should stick (doesn’t have to be perfect). Once all surface areas are sufficiently coated, set aside.
- Prep and add all the ingredients of your salad into a large serving bowl and toss well with the salad dressing (if you are adding fried shallots, keep these separate to add in step 5).
- Bring a non-stick or cast cast iron pan to a med/high heat and add a dash of avocado oil. Once hot, sear the tune steaks for about 30 seconds to a minutes per side. The goal is to develop a crispy, golden crust on the outside while leaving the inside raw or rare. Remove from heat and slice into roughly 1/4″ strips.
- Add your sliced seared tuna steaks to the salad and top with some extra cilantro, chili flakes, and fried shallots. Enjoy!
Notes
See notes section in body!
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Bela
Delicious recipe. Super easy!