Air Fryer Tuna Steak
Posted: 01/17/23
Updated: 12/11/24
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This air fryer tuna steak recipe is a game changer! Incredibly delicious and very easy to make, the tuna steaks are quickly marinated in a garlic ginger soy marinade, and served with extra dipping sauce. And it’s ready to eat in just a few minutes!
🐟 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This method of cooking tuna steak is super quick and incredibly easy! The tuna gets marinated for only 10 minutes, and cooks in the air fryer in even less time! Perfect for a delicious quick weeknight dinner or a special occasion meal too.
- Tuna is nutritious and an excellent source of protein. Not only is it very lean, it’s also low-calorie, packed with minerals and nutrients, and high in essential Omega-3 fatty acids.
- It’s absolutely delicious! Tuna steaks are not a fishy fish at all. When cooked well, they have great texture, and are simply succulent. The savory garlic ginger soy marinade and dipping sauce compliment the air fryer tuna steaks beautifully, adding a little tangy, and a little sweetness.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- If you plan on cooking your ahi tuna rare or medium-rare, quality matters. I recommend buying high-quality tuna, often called sushi or sashimi grade.
- Speaking of tuna doneness, the cooking time will depend on the tuna steaks size and thickness, as well as your taste. While I prefer a rare tuna steak, you might like it medium. Either way it’ll absolutely be delicious, but don’t go over a medium doneness, well-done tuna will be grey and chewy. For rare tuna, the internal temperature should read about 115-120° Fahrenheit, which is 1.5 to 2 minutes per side, medium-rare, 125-130° F, 2 to 3 minutes per side, and medium 135-140° F, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. But keep in mind that if the tuna steak is thick, it might need a couple more minutes, or vise-versa.
- If you buy the tuna steaks frozen, make sure they’re completely thawed before marinating. Put the frozen tuna wrapped in plastic on a plate in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, or for a quicker method, transfer tuna to an air-tight, leak-proof plastic Ziploc bag, and place fish in cold water, for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until thawed. Do not use hot water to defrost fish or meat, it’s not safe.
- When it comes to marinating the tuna, 10 minutes is all it needs! If you let it sit for too long, the marinade will actually start cooking the fish, which we don’t want for this recipe. Also make sure to reserve some of the marinade mixture for dipping sauce before you marinate the fish in it (discard the leftover the fish sat in).
🔥 More Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes
- 5-Ingredient Air Fryer Flautas
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Brats in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Air Fryer Tuna Steak
Quickly marinated in a soy garlic ginger and lime marinade, these air fryer tuna steaks are cooked in the air fryer for less than 10 minutes, and served with extra dipping sauce.
servings
Ingredients
For the Marinade/Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce optional, more or less to taste
- 1-2 green onions chopped
For the Tuna Steaks
- 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless ahi tuna steaks see Notes
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Suggested Garnishes (All Optional
- white sesame seeds
- finely chopped green onions
Equipment
- Small bowl
- whisk
- small ramekin or serving bowl to serve dipping sauce
- Plate
- Paper towels
- large sealable food-safe plastic bag
- Air Fryer
- spray cooking oil must be safe for air fryers
- Tongs
- Internal meat thermometer
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Instructions
- Add soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and green onions to small bowl. Whisk well until ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Transfer ⅓ cup of soy sauce mixture to small ramekin or serving bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Lay tuna steaks on plate or cutting board. Pat tuna with paper towels until completely dry on all sides, then place tuna in sealable plastic bag. Pour remaining soy sauce mixture into bag and seal bag completely shut. Flip and rotate bag to completely coat tuna in sauce, then set aside and let tuna marinate 10 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 375° Fahrenheit. Once air fryer is preheated, remove basket and coat generously with cooking spray. Transfer marinated tuna steaks from bag to basket, then place basket in preheated air fryer.
- Air fry tuna steaks 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully remove basket from air fryer and flip tuna steaks over to cook on other side.
- Return basket to air fryer and fry tuna another 3 to 4 minutes, or until internal temperature for desired doneness is reached. Check temperature frequently during cooking to avoid overcooking. See Notes for temperatures.
- When desired temperature is reached, carefully remove tuna steaks from air fryer and place on cutting board. Sprinkle black pepper on tuna to taste, and repeat on other side if desired. Set tuna aside to rest 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, slice steaks thinly and divide tuna into preferred portion sizes. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions (optional), and serve immediately with dipping sauce and any desired sides.
Notes
- Tuna Steaks: If using frozen tuna steaks, be sure to defrost them overnight in the fridge first. To ensure even cooking, steaks should be even in size and thickness. Each should weigh approximately 6 ounces and be approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches thick.
- Make it Whole30: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Replace soy sauce with lite tamari or coconut aminos.
Recommended Internal Temperatures
For Rare Tuna: 110° to 115° Fahrenheit- Remove from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 100° Fahrenheit. Tuna will continue cooking as it rests.
- Remove from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 110° Fahrenheit. Tuna will continue cooking as it rests.
- Remove from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 120° Fahrenheit. Tuna will continue cooking as it rests.
- Remove from air fryer when internal temperature reaches 130° Fahrenheit. Tuna will continue cooking as it rests.
- USDA temperature recommendation for food safety is 145° Fahrenheit for seafood.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 188kcal | Protein: 23g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Total Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 9g | Net Carbs: 11.6g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 1243mg | Potassium: 350mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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