Sesame crusted tuna with a wasabi cream sauce might sound like an item you would only want to order at a fancy Asian restaurant, but to be honest, it is super easy, super-fast, and one of my go-to weeknight meal recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Sesame Crusted Tuna
What’s not to love about a fresh tuna recipe that can be on your table in minutes?
- Quick and easy – This recipe is great because it is easy to make, with dinner being done in 15 minutes.
- Wasabi cream sauce – The wasabi cream sauce is mild in comparison to just wasabi paste. It tames it, allowing those with a more gentle palette to enjoy flavor without the heat.
- Stunning dish – It’s also impressive. It is delicious and sounds complicated, but is actually fairly simple.
Fresh Tuna vs Raw Tuna
The truth is that using a frozen tuna steak actually kills some bacteria that grow and cause illness. I can’t claim that it gets rid of everything, but it does a good job with a good bit of them. You can easily use non-frozen tuna steaks for this recipe as well.
There also seems to be an assumption that if fish is in the seafood case that it is fresh. Don’t fall into that trap. For most seafood case fish, it was previously frozen or flash frozen and is now sitting in front of you thawed.
If you want to learn more about tuna, check out my Japanese tuna sushi guide!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this sesame crusted tuna.
- Tuna steaks -I like to use sushi-grade tuna for the best quality, but this might not always be available, just work with what you’ve got. You can use ahi tuna steaks cut into chunks for skewers.
- Sesame seeds – I used a combination of both yellow sesame seeds and black sesame seeds for both color and flavor.
- Vegetable oil – Alternatively you can use sesame oil or avocado oil. We use this to coat the pan for searing.
- Heavy whipping cream – This is what we combine with the wasabi powder to make our wasabi whipped cream.
- Wasabi powder – I like to use this instead of actual wasabi paste. IT’s a little more mild and easier to find.
How to Make Sesame Crusted Tuna
Set aside less than 30 minutes to make this delicious dinner.
- Coat tuna in sesame seeds. Combine the yellow and black sesame seeds in a shallow plate, dredge and press both sides of the tuna steaks (or kabobs) in the sesame seed mixture. They should stick naturally.
- Sear tuna. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. With a pair of tongs, add the tuna, searing on both sides for a few minutes. This greatly depends on the thickness of your tuna and desired degree of doneness. Use an instant digital thermometer for best results.
- Allow tuna to rest. Remove the tuna from the skillet and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Make whipped wasabi. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream until it is stiff and bodied. Add the wasabi powder and salt, continuing to whip until combined. Do not over mix. Chill until ready to use.
- Serve tuna with wasabi cream sauce. Plate with tuna and a hefty dollop of wasabi cream sauce on top or the on the side for dipping.
What to Serve with Sesame Crusted Tuna
You can serve this tuna so many ways! We like to cut it into slices and serve with some sort of rice. In addition to the wasabi cream sauce, we like to serve ours with soy sauce and maybe a ginger sauce as well. Pot sticker sauce is also a winner, as is sriracha aioli or chinese chili oil.
You can also serve this over a salad or greens. The options are really endless and the world in your oyster with this sesame-crusted tuna steak.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Sesame Crusted Tuna
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to three days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze Sesame Crusted Tuna?
If you are using already frozen tuna, unfortunately it is not recommended to freeze it again.
More Seafood Recipes
We could eat some sort of seafood every night in our house. Here are some of our favorite seafood recipes.
Sesame Crusted Tuna Recipe
Ingredients
For tuna:
- 2 8-ounce tuna steaks , or tuna cut into chunks for skewers
- 2 tablespoons yellow sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For Wasabi Whipped Cream:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon wasabi powder
- Dash of fine sea salt
- Scallions for garnish
Instructions
For the Tuna:
- Combine the yellow and black sesame seeds in a shallow plate, dredge and press both sides of the tuna steaks (or kabobs) into the seeds. They should stick naturally.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the tuna, searing on both sides for approximately 2-4 minutes. This greatly depends on the thickness of your tuna and desired degree of doneness. Use an instant digital thermometer for best results. Rare is 110-155°F, medium-rare is 120-130°F, 135°F is medium, 140°F is medium well and we do not recommend going to well done which is 145°F.
- Remove the tuna from the skillet and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.
Wasabi Cream Sauce:
- IN a medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer with whip attachments or in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy whipping cream until it is stiff and bodied, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the wasabi powder and salt, continuing to whip until combined. Do not over mix. Chill until ready to use.
- Plate with tuna and a hefty dollop of wasabi cream sauce on top or the on the side for dipping.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
Can you make wasabi cream ahead and refrigerate?
Sure can!
Can I use wasabi paste vs powder?
Paste comes in a tube and is just powder already mixed with water. You can make your own paste from powder.
I made the wasabi cream and it never got creamy. It got lumpy. Do you have any idea why that happened. It tasted so good but sure didn’t look like yours.
If you over whip it, it can get a little lumpy. It also might be the brand of wasabi you used.
I’m glad it still tasted good!
My husband and i live this recipe!
I make this using everything bagel seasoning as a sub for plain sesame seeds, after a marinade of fresh ginger and garlic, lemon zest and juice, amino acid, toasted sesame oil, and salt. . The Wasabi crema is what kills it! Straight murder! This dish is to die for!
Thank you! So glad you loved it and what a nice idea to use everything bagel seasoning, I love that stuff!
First time making fresh tuna at home. Loved the flavors. I am not sure how I felt about the wasabi cream but my husband really liked it.
Thanks for coming back to let us know! Wasabi cream is certianly a more unusual way of eating wasabi, but it will grow on you. Also try our teriyaki tuna with volcano sauce! https://www.savoryexperiments.com/teriyaki-tuna-with-volcano-sauce/
Tuna is a restaurant favorite for my husband. This is just as good and so much cheaper!
This is such an elegant and easy meal! The tips in this post are so helpful too!