How to Grill Tuna Steaks

Time for some lean and juicy beef tenderloin of the sea!  Well you got the hint. Tuna fish has earned the title of being juicy enough to replace beef tenderloin and that is perhaps why it is now known to be the fleshiest fish found in the deep waters.

Trust us on this one! When cooked right, tuna fish can easily replace the juiciest roast beef or lamb! The secret lies in the technique used in cooking up a tender tuna steak.

While tuna sandwiches have long earned all the fame, it is about time this delicacy gets the TLC it needs in order to tantalize the taste buds to the max. There is a whole cuisine dedicated entirely to grilling and smoking fish and we are here to let you in on those secrets. If you are in for some juicy grilled fish, get your utensils out and read on for more!

“How to Grill Tuna Steaks The Right Way!”

While the marinade and the quality of the fish are key here, it all boils down to the searing technique you apply to your fish. If you are really looking for restaurant quality gourmet cooking, we would highly recommend investing in a quality smoke oven.

Once you have your smoker set in place, you have a whole aisle of recipes to explore. There are tonnes of techniques involved in cooking up some top notch tuna steak but what tops it the most is the smokey flavor of slow cooked tuna that you can only get when you let it simmer in a smoke oven.

Let the savory goodness of a smoke oven take you right back to the heart of Seattle with the tiniest bit of effort and perfect results each time. An offset smoker is truly worth an investment when it comes to delicious long and slow easy cooking. Camp Chef’s SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill is quite the choice.

Want to explore more on pellet Grills? Probarbeque has it for you right here!

If offset smokers are not the thing for you than you can surely try out the Traeger grills. Sturdy and fully automated, Traeger grills give you an option to control your cooking session through even your phone!

Yes, Wi-Fire technology is what they call it and it does work like a charm each time! The best model that gets a 5 star rating on Amazon is their Traeger PRO 575. This one is definitely a steal.

Once you have your brine set, make sure you leave your tuna steaks marinating in there for a good four hours.

Preheat your smoker oven to 250 F and add the apple flavored wood to it. Cherry wood goes well too with tuna. Brush the fillets with some low sodium soy and place them on a clean grill that has been moistened with a little oil.

All you have to do now is wait for the deliciousness to cook for just 1 hour now and it’s good to go. Don’t forget to flip the steak once in between the session.

Best sauce for tuna steak

Now what’s a steak without some good old ginger sauce? We thought we should turn up the basic ginger sauce recipe up a notch and add a tangy orange kick to it. All it takes is some oil heated up in a pan but be careful not to burn the oil. Put the heat on a low setting before you add a knob of butter to it. The oil in the pan will prevent the butter from burning.

Add the key ingredients to the pan now; ginger and the chile flakes and cook it till the ginger gets rid of its raw crunch. Now it’s time to increase the heat a little with the added splash of some freshly squeezed orange juice. Once it comes to a boil, add your brown sugar to it along with a dash of soy sauce and lime juice but remember the rule of thumb though, a little goes a long way.

Let the broth simmer till it reduces to one-quarter of what it was. This will take about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat and that’s all there is to it.  This is hands down the best sort of tangy sauce that compliments all sorts of fish, especially tuna.

Tips to keep in mind when cooking tuna

As delicate tuna flesh is, attention to detail is necessary here. The right temperature is crucial with fish. Ideally, the temperature should range between 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit for a tuna steak so you may want to keep an eye on that thermometer. A cast iron skillet is quite a safe option to use but when you are smoking tuna fish, we would rather recommend you don’t use a skillet at all. Placing the steaks right onto the grill of a quality smoker is what will give it the optimal flavor of the smokey goodness.

Another handy tip to get the most out of your fish is to keep it on the top shelf of the smoker which is presumably the farthest away from the fire box. Any sort of meat when being smoked should in fact be placed on the top shelf of the smoker. Anywhere closer to direct heat will give the meat a tougher texture. A water pan right above the firebox with some stems will work like a charm. It will add the earth flavor and aid in retaining the tenderness of the steak.