Spice marinated tuna is an easy to make and brings herbs, sweetness, and spices to the table in one simple yet flavorful dish.
Over the years, I have found myself moving farther and farther away from eating fish besides the occasional treat. And apparently, Tuna is my guilty pleasure. I always have a habit of purchasing tuna steaks whether it’s at a restaurant or a grocery store. It truly is my go-to dish.
I know I have done a spice rubbed tuna recipe before, but I had always been curious about marinating food. I feel like marinating typically is adjacent to meat, so I thought, why not try it out on tuna?
The best part? Marinades can be a great mix of sweet and savory which bring the dish to a new level by adding that extra depth of flavor. I was excited to see what I could do with this dish. And, since the preparation is so simple, it easily became a staple recipe in my kitchen.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes.
Ingredients
Even though this recipe only makes two tuna steaks, there are still a lot of ingredients needed to get that flavorful marinade. I decided to use honey for sweetness (as that seems classic), a combination of herbs and spices, and a bit of lemon juice for some slight citric acidity.
Process
Creating the Marinade
I have been really liking these two step recipes lately. Maybe because my GBBO journeys had so many steps, I fell back onto some recipes that only had few. The first step for making the spice marinated tuna is to make the marinade.
This meant throwing all of the ingredients into a bowl (besides the tuna steak) and whisking. I did have to prep some of the herbs in advance, chopping and mincing the garlic, cilantro, and parsley. Is garlic an herb? Nope! It’s technically a vegetable…
I wanted to whisk thoroughly to make sure that I got all the flavors mixed and evenly spread throughout the marinade. My focus was on the powders, and I wanted them to be slightly dissolved in all the liquids.
Soaking and Cooking
Next, I needed a Ziploc bag. I have found this to be the best tool, but a bowl will do if needed. First, I placed the tune steaks for the spice marinated tune into the bag. Then I poured the marinade over the top until all the marinade has been transferred into the bag.
Not all the tuna was covered in the marinade, so I did move around the liquid inside of the bag. I wanted to make sure every surface I could see was covered. Then it was time to let the tuna rest and continue to absorb the marinade. To help with this process, I removed as much air as possible from the bag. This is the main reason why the Ziploc bag is preferable.
Finally, an hour or so, I pulled out the tuna got it ready to cook on the stove top. I was debating doing this in the oven, but I thought that I didn’t want to play with too many new variables when trying out this recipe. Since I already changed up how I prep the dish, I decided to stick with a familiar cooking method.
I put a small bit of vegetable oil into the pan and let the pan heat up. There should be a sizzle when I put the tuna into the pan. And that means getting the pan hot. Then I placed in the tuna and let is grill on one side for about 5 minutes before flipping to the other side. The smell that I was getting while cooking was irresistible.
Reflections
This was a great and easy recipe that brought way more flavor than I had anticipated. I really enjoyed the savory, spice, and sweetness that was all wrapped into one perfect package. And the tuna flavor really shined through and complimented the marinade well. I am curious to try more marinades in the future for other recipes.
Lessons
When to Use Marinades?
I am not someone who typically uses marinades, so I was curious about when to use them and how they interacted with the ingredients. From what I found, you can marinate basically anything, but it is more common for meats (chicken, red meat, fish). Not only do marinades help with flavor, but some can help tenderize the meat as well as add extra moisture.
recipe
Spice Marinated Tuna
Ingredients
- 2 Tuna Steaks
- ⅓ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley finely chopped
- 2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ Lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for the tuna in a medium bowl and whisk. Spices and powders should be evenly spread throughout the mixture.
- Place the tuna steaks into a gallon Ziploc bag. Slowly pour the olive oil mixture (marinade) over tuna trying to get as much coated as possible. After all the marinade has been transferred, gently rub the marinade into the tuna on any areas not already covered.
- Press out all the excess air and seal the Ziploc bag. Place in the fridge and let rest for at least 1 hour.
- In a frying pan, place vegetable oil and allow to heat. Place the tuna in and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes on each side. The internal temperature should be approximately 90-95° Fahrenheit.
- Let rest for 3-5 minutes then Enjoy!
Leave a ReplyCancel reply