Sesame Seared Tuna with Miso and Snap Peas

This Sesame Seared Tuna with Miso and Snap Peas is a six-ingredient wonder that is both easy and elegant all at once. Miso is the trick to creating a savory, flavorful crust on the fresh tuna steaks, and it gives those sesame seeds something to stick to. If you need an incredibly fast meal that also happens to be low-carb, high protein, and gluten-free – then this sesame seared tuna recipe is your new best friend.

Sesame Seared Tuna

This seared tuna with sesame seeds is a six-ingredient recipe that tastes more complex than it really is. That, incidentally, is all thanks to the specific combination of ingredients that we’ll use to build mega, can’t-get-them-off-my-mind flavors. That’s really the trick to minimalist cooking, to me. It’s knowing how to wield your simple pantry staples, along with some intentionally selected extras, to create delicious dishes that are totally void of intimidation and boredom.

What is miso?

In Japanese cooking, miso is a very traditional item that is used for seasoning so many things. It is made from a combination of fermented soybeans and koji, a mold that is cultivated from barley, rice or soybeans. The process of inoculating the fermented soybeans and koji can take anywhere from a few weeks to even years, and results one incredibly flavorful and complex condiment that has universal appeal.

I use miso as a secret ingredient in so many recipes, it’s almost silly. I can fully claim it to be one of my top five favorite ingredients of all time, and I just get really excited about the stuff. I’m really glad it exists.

What color miso should I use?

I typically call for white miso paste in my recipes, as it tends to be the most widely available in standard American supermarkets. That is very important, as convenience and accessibility are two huge factors in the recipe development here on MKL. Lighter in color and sweeter in taste, this miso is easier on the palette and tends to be more universally pleasing and applicable. Dark miso is a little harder to find, and I think is more intense in recipes. It’s not as much of a starter miso as the lighter, sweet white miso varieties that I usually call for.

I use miso in SO many things because it’s just so incredible at adding depth of flavor. It’s a secret weapon in my championship chili, as well as my quick Mazeman (brothless ramen) and favorite pulled BBQ spaghetti squash sandwiches.

What can I substitute for miso?

If you can’t find miso at all and still want to make a great tuna steak, I’d go ahead and use mayonnaise (kewpie mayo if you can get it!) as my binder. It still has good flavor – bright and lemony, with some salt. But be sure to actually salt and pepper your tuna first, as you will be missing that salt from the miso.

How do I store miso?

Okay, I had someone DM me on Instagram recently with this question. They’d prepared my Cook-off Champ Chili and had some leftover miso, and were left wondering how best to go about storing it so they could use it again, delicious stuff that it is. So, according to Basically:

You can keep miso in an airtight container in the refrigerator indefinitely, though it may get darker or denser over time. You can also store it in the freezer, which will not change its texture or flavor.

Basically

Tips for searing fresh tuna

This recipe can work for as few or as many people as you’d like – just purchase as many tuna steaks as you need, allotting one per person. The method is the same no matter how much food you’re slinging, and here are a few good tricks for ensuring your tuna is tubular every single time. (Tubular tuna! what everyone wants! woo!)

Fresh is best

As with most fresh fish, tuna is truly best cooked the day you purchase it. Unlike beef and pork, it doesn’t sit well for several days on end. So, I’d suggest cooking your tuna within the first day or two after you buy it, since we’re keeping that center nice and rare.

Hot hot hot!

Get that pan screaming hot before you ever even think about throwing the tuna in. The tuna will crisp and cook evenly and well for you if it starts in a very hot pan. Also, the oil needs to get a chance to get really hot, or else it will sort of soak into the crust and not cook as well. So, be patient and get the pan and oil nice and hot before you get to searing that fish.

Keep an eye on it

I mean this pretty literally, as you can actually watch the color of your tuna’s flesh change as it cooks in the pan. This actually makes tuna one of the easiest and most foolproof proteins to cook, because there’s little guessing involved. You just keep an eye on it, and when you’ve got opaque, gray-colored flesh with significant pink left in the middle – you’re good to go. Medium rare is highly recommended for this cut of tuna, and it only takes about 3 to 4 minutes of searing (1.5 to 2 minutes per side) to achieve that. It goes very fast!

What you’ll need

Seared tuna with sesame seeds can big as big or as little a recipe as you’d like for it to be, but really, all you need are like, 5 or 6 core things to create amazing texture, flavor, nuance, and nutrition. This is a full deal here, y’all, and all you need is:

INGREDIENTS

2 fresh tuna steaks

¼ cup white miso paste (widely available in most supermarkets, amount is approximate)

½ cup sesame seeds (black or white, or a mix)

10 ounces fresh sugar snap peas

1 bunch scallions

SERVING SUGGESTION: Chili garlic oil, chili crisp, chopped cilantro

How to make this seared tuna with sesame seeds

This recipe goes so fast, if you blink you’l miss it. We’re talking 5 or 6 ingredients (you can skip the vinegar) and like, maybe 10 minutes tops. Plus? Flavor abounds here, thanks to my BFF miso paste. Here’s how we do it:

DIRECTIONS

Finely slice the scallion whites and place in a bowl with ¼ cup rice wine vinegar and some salt and pepper to taste. Slice the scallion greens in large pieces, about the same size as the snap peas.

Coat both sides of the tuna steaks in a thick layer of miso (about 1 tablespoon per side). Cover both sides in sesame seeds, pressing so they stick to the miso and ensuring all of the miso is covered.

Add about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering hot, sear the tuna for about 1.5 minutes per side, or until browned and crusty, but still nice and pink in the centers. Transfer to a plate and keep the heat at medium-high. 

 Add the snap peas and scallion greens to the hot pan, along with a little more oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons of water, just to loosen things up (there’s probably sizzled miso and sesame bits that are stuck to the pan. This is good!). Stir fry for about 4 or 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to tenderize and soften. Transfer to a big plate or platter (or individual plates).

Slice the tuna, if desired, and lay on top of the scallions and snap peas. Scatter the pickled scallion whites all over and serve.

If you like the looks of this Sesame Seared Tuna with Miso and Snap Peas, you might also enjoy:

Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Crispy Ginger Beef Bibimbap with Sweet Sesame Sauce

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