I’ll admit it: preparing raw fish to serve at home can seem daunting. But it needn’t be. When it comes to ahi tuna, ensure you’re buying from a trusted source, and you’ll have the key to one of the fastest, highest-protein meals in a jiffy. It takes only one minute to sear the tuna! It seems exotic and gourmet, but it’s a quick dish that wows, whether cooking for yourself or your family or hosting a dinner party.
Today’s tuna was picked up from a local market in Nashville, The Turnip Truck.
Serve your seared tuna with greens tossed with a ginger-miso dressing, or transform it into a bowl, as we’re doing today.
This high-protein ahi tuna bowl recipe is so easy. But, again, the ultimate success of this meal is the quality of the ahi tuna you purchase.
And, if this recipe looks interesting, but you’d rather make something vegan, here is a high-protein (thanks to tofu) Asian noodle salad I highly recommend!Â
Time-Saving Prep Tips
For maximum efficiency, prepare some ingredients ahead of time. When I made this recently, I had prepared a Thai Chicken Salad (recipe coming soon!) three nights before using the same fresh herbs — scallions, mint, and cilantro. While prepping that meal, I chopped extra herbs, ginger, and diced extra jalapeño. I even had leftover shelled edamame ready to go!
This advance prep, which added very little time to the original meal, meant all I needed to do was measure out my liquids for the dressing, quickly cook my tuna (which takes practically no time), and assemble everything.
When I talk about “lazy recipes,” sometimes they’re clever because you use similar ingredients across multiple meals. By prepping strategically, you’re always helping out your future self.
I’m sharing TWO recipes here: one for perfectly seared tuna and another for transforming it into a complete meal.
Staples to Always Have On-Hand
As I mentioned in previous Lazy Girl recipes, building a well-stocked kitchen is the key to effortless meal preparation. It’s not just about following recipes — it’s about having reliable ingredients that let you cook intuitively and adapt to what’s available seasonally.
For today’s recipes, I used several ingredients that are always found in my kitchen:
- Avocado oil – with a higher smoke temperature, this is what I use for searing.
- Coarse salt – I always have different salts in my spice cabinet, including kosher, fine, and flaky Maldon. Experiment with different brands and types of salts as they make a huge flavor profile difference in your final recipe.
- Edamame – shelled edamame is also called mukimame. I always have a frozen bag on hand.
- Rice noodles—I typically have these substitute noodles on hand, which are only 15 calories. They need to be rinsed for a couple of minutes before use. I order them a case at a time! But, the super thin rice noodles are great and I typically have a package in my pantry as well.
Seared Ahi Tuna
Ingredients
- 16 oz ahi tuna
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
Instructions
- Dry the tuna with paper towels. 16 oz of tuna is typically 2 to 3 tuna steaks.
- Heat the oil in a skillet - I use a carbon steel skillet over medium-high heat for at least one minute or until the oil starts to shine
- Rub the sesame seeds, salt, and pepper into both sides of your tuna steaks.
- Sear it in the hot avocado oil for 30 seconds on each side.
- Let sit for 3 minutes and then slice against the grain.
Now, let’s add this seared tuna to a bowl to make it a complete meal.
Seared Spicy Tuna Bowl with Edamame and Avocado
Ingredients
- 16 oz seared ahi tuna
- 1/2 cup edamame
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 3 Persian cucumbers
- 1 avocado
- 3 tbsp cilantro, diced
- 3 tbsp basil, diced
- 3 tbsp mint, diced
- 3 tbsp scallions, diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil (or 2 Tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil for additional sesame flavor)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 oz rice noodles, divided (optional - use lettuce instead or nothing!)
Instructions
- Cut seared tuna (see recipe in this same article as this one)
- Dice up all herbs and set aside in a small bowl.
- If using, cook the rice noodles (the thin noodle variety) according to instructions. When finished, rinse to cool. (note: nutrition value of rice noodles not included in this recipe)
- Mix olive oil (and sesame oil if desired), rice vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add 1/3 of the herbs + the sliced jalapeño. Set aside.
- Between 2 to 3 bowls, divide the rice noodles.
- Chop the cucumbers and avocado; divide among the 2-3 bowls with the edamame, next to the rice noodles.
- Divide the cut, seared tuna among the bowls.
- Divide the dressing among the bowls atop the tuna and vegetables.
- Add the extra herbs to each bowl.
- If desired, add Siracha sauce, more lime juice or more soy sauce.
- Serve with chopsticks or a fork!
Nutrition
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For more Lazy Girl high-protein recipes, see our ongoing collection here.
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