5 Minute Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna Tacos With Mango Salsa

Learn how to make Pan-Seared Ahi Tuna Tacos that are loaded with sesame-crusted tuna slices, Mango Salsa, shredded green cabbage and topped with freshly squeezed lime juice.

A quick and easy meal that will be ready in less than 30 minutes and result in melt-in-your-mouth ahi tuna!

Table Of Contents

• Why It's Yummy
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storing Instructions
• FAQ
• Easy Gluten Free Appetizers
• Easy Seafood Recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Why It's Yummy

• Crispy sesame-seared tuna slices just melt in your mouth!

• Flavorful and nutritious - these fish tacos are a great alternative to sushi/sashimi and traditional Mexican tacos!

• If you don’t eat fish at least 2 times a week it is a great recipe to start doing it!

• I highly recommend enjoying seared ahi tuna tacos with Mango Salsa, this is hands down, the most PERFECT salsa for seafood!

If you like more taco recipes be sure to try these next: Creamy Chicken Tacos, Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Kale Tacos (Vegan), Easy Taco Dinner Party Board (with 2 different taco recipes), Vegan Meat Tacos or simply type the word ''taco'' into the search bar.

Ingredients

My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!

The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.

• Seared Ahi Tuna - ahi tuna (yellowfin tuna) is usually sold either fresh or frozen at the market or grocery stores. It is ideally served medium rare, lightly seared outside over high heat. If you don’t feel comfortable eating raw fish then you can cook it until medium. But I don't recommend anything more than that as it will easily become dry and resemble canned tuna but without the excessive oil that makes the canned tuna soft.

• Ask the seller if it is sushi-grade tuna then it means that it is the highest quality fish they offer and they believe it is safe to consume raw. But actually, there is no such thing like ‘’sushi grade’’.

• The bacteria that sits on the fish or any meat steak is usually outside and we eliminate it by searing the surface over high heat. It is also a reason we need to cook the ground meat until deep golden brown!

• Sesame seeds - is optional but give a nice golden exterior and crunch to the fish tacos. If using sesame seeds be careful not to burn all the seeds over high heat, you may need to regulate the heat and turn the tuna more often on the pan.

• Tortillas - either homemade, corn tortillas, or any other type with a GF label on it.

• Cabbage (for fish taco assembly) - To save time use a pre-shredded bagged cabbage mix that you can find in most grocery stores. Alternatively, a nice and easy cabbage salad will work here too. Your next options would be Lettuce – Fresh crispy Romaine, iceberg lettuce, or other favorite leafy lettuce.

Instructions

Wash and pat dry tuna with a kitchen towel/paper.

Prepare two medium bowls: one with soy sauce, and sesame oil and the other with sesame seeds.

Add the tuna to the marinade first, and make sure it is coated on all sides. Dip the tuna into sesame seeds until all the sides are covered.

You may need to press the seeds into the tuna to make sure they stick nicely.

Place a pan over medium heat and add enough oil.

Once the oil is hot add tuna steak and sear for 2 minutes on one side. Flip the tuna and sear the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

Important to note that the cooking time will depend on the thickness of the tuna steak. Mine was about 1 ½ inches thick.

Place a good nonstick skillet/pan over medium heat and add enough oil.

For more traditional 4-6 ounces and 1 ½ inches thick tuna steak. Sear for 1 ½ minutes on one side, flip and sear another 1 - 1 ½ minutes. Orr use a thermometer to register 118-120 Fahrenheit in the center for medium-rare (that's what i did).

Allow resting on a plate for 1-2 minutes. Once it's cooled more it will be easier to cut it into even slices. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Ahi tuna is ideally served medium-rare but if you prefer your tuna more cooked, add another 1-2 minutes per side. Just make sure not to overcook it, it should still be pink inside.

If not sure, take it off the pan, cut in the middle, and see if it is cooked to your liking, if not just sear it for a couple of minutes longer. You only need a minute or two here for a medium-rare tuna steak.

If all the pink is disappeared, the tuna is still edible but will be more on the dryer side.

Important to note here: different burners will give different results but use your best judgment and always aim for ''not overcooking'' the tuna steak. In this case, you can still fix the situation.

Once you start cutting it up into slices and see that the steak seems too raw for you, just pop it back into the hot pan and cook for a minute or so.

But if overcooked there's nothing you can do anymore.

Meanwhile, warm up your tortillas on a hot dry pan until golden brown or heat in the oven. Or on the grill!

Assemble. In warmed taco shell add a handful of shredded cabbage, 1-2 tablespoons of Mango Habanero Salsa, and top with or two slices of fish.

Drizzle with fresh lime juice, fresh black cracked pepper, and sea salt flakes, and serve these mouthwatering seared ahi tuna tacos immediately.

Tips

• Warm the tortillas! - this is optional but does make a difference. There are 3 ways to warm up the tortillas.

In the oven - wrap the tortillas in foil and place on the middle rack in preheated oven to about 400F for 5-10 minutes until just warm.

On the pan - preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat and once hot dry fry them one by one on both sides until golden brown (it will happen very fast so don’t leave them unattended!).

Grill them - Oil the grates and grill the tortillas briefly until lightly charred.

• Use a good nonstick skillet - As fish has a tendency to stick to the pan easily, I recommend using a nonstick skillet here or even a properly seasoned cast iron skillet. Also if the fish sticks to the pan don't flip it, it's not cooked yet. 

• Preheated pan with oil - make sure your oil is heated enough. As the ahi tuna steak is ideally served medium rare we want to sear the outer side really quickly in a hot pan so all the bacteria will be killed. However since we are using sesame seeds here, we need to be careful and not to burn all the seeds with very high heat.

• But if you are really in doubt, cook the tuna to medium or even medium-plus. A good kitchen thermometer will be an advantage. For best flavor results avoid cooking tuna more than medium-rare.

• You can use both here, frozen or fresh tuna. If frozen, I like to thaw it in cold water until very soft (It is also recommended that the fish is in a zip lock bag submerged in water). It should thaw rather quickly, but do change the cold water out every 20-30 minutes (if needed). Do not use warm water (just like with any fish or meat produce) as this will help the bacteria to multiply rapidly!

• My other important tip is to buy tuna or any fish really from a reputable seafood seller (or a restaurant) who’s knowledgeable about the origin and proper handling of seafood produce. Keep your fish cold or frozen (the colder the better!) and avoid cross-contamination. And don’t forget to wash your hands before and after handling uncooked tuna!

• P.S. As a consumer, I’d always go for frozen tuna as it is safer (freezing at very low temperatures keeps the bacteria from growing and keeps the fish for longer), at the end of the day you don’t know how long the fish has been sitting in the ice on that counter in the store. Please use your best judgment whenever purchasing any kind of seafood and meat. I think you'll agree, that there is no such thing as fresh fish, especially tuna or salmon for example in New York. Always do your research before. It really depends on which part of the world are you in now.

Serving Suggestions

If you're serving these seared ahi tuna tacos for dinner you will want to add more side dishes and salads to make it a wholesome dinner. My recommendations:

Salads

• Oriental Coleslaw With Thai Peanut Salad Dressing
• Avocado Corn Salad
• Marinated Vegetable Salad
• Healthy Purple Cabbage Salad With Almonds
• Cabbage and Cucumber Salad With Dill

Other Condiments and Side Dishes

• Lime Cilantro Rice
• Homemade Buffalo Sauce - a little drizzle of spicy sauce goes a long the way!
• Simple Guacamole Recipe (3 ingredient)
• Easy Pico De Gallo
• Strawberry Salsa
• Cajun Corn On The Cob

Storing Instructions

Properly sealed, this seared ahi tuna will keep in the fridge for 2 days. I wouldn't leave it to consume the next day but if you really need to, refrigerate it and reheat it in the oven at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a baking sheet or baking dish until just warm.

FAQ

I hope you'll enjoy these seared ahi tuna tacos and if you make this recipe, please let me know down below in the comments or by tagging @theyummy_bowl under your picture on Instagram.

Thank you for reading,

Love,

Julia

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Recipe

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