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Best Grilled Tuna Steak

When it comes to grilled seafood, there are two main types of fish that people order- white meat or pink meat. With white meat, you’re typically talking about either flake style tuna cooked sous vide (a lower temperature) and then grilled or albacore sushi which is raw salmon that has been pressed down and thinly sliced.

With pink meat, people usually refer to crab which is always served as legs with its claws still attached. Obviously, when cooking crab, you have to make sure to pull off and separate them so they don’t hurt anyone else!

Grilling a piece of tuna can be tricky because most times, people cook their tuna until it is completely dry and hard. This does not work for soft, fluffy tuna steak. If this is what you want, know that you will need to purchase slightly thicker tuna to achieve this.

Buy the right size of tuna

best grilled tuna steak

When buying fresh tuna, make sure you know what kind it is! There are three main types: albacore, yellow fin, and blue fin. The color difference between each type depends on how much iodine they contain.

Iodine is an element that helps keep your thyroid in working order. Different kinds of fish have different amounts of iodine, so depending on which one you eat, can affect your health.

Albacore has very little to no iodine, while blue fins can be high in iodine. The amount varies per brand and where the fish was caught. Because there is more iodine in other parts of the body, eating enough tuna may not do anything significant for you.

However, people with underactive thyroids may need less iodine to stay healthy. Therefore, try to buy a similar amount of tuna as someone who knows their thyroid condition and could potentially benefit from this food.

Buy a high quality grill

Having better grilled meat depends heavily upon your grill, what it can handle before it burn or overcook, and how well it cooks the food you prepare on it.

Grills that have higher ratings are able to cook hotter which helps melt away some of the water content in the steak, creating more flavor and texture.

A good gauge is whether or not the smoker section (where most grills have a built-in source for heat) burns consistently when you turn the knob. If it doesn’t then there may be something wrong with the grill.

Also make sure the handles work easily so you can take control of the temperature and time of the grill! This will determine if the cooked meat ends up burnt or raw due to lack of control.

If you want thinner, leaner steaks try cold smoking the tuna first to dry out the protein slightly, this makes for much tighter, crispier fish.

Know the right heat for your grill

best grilled tuna steak

When cooking meat on the grill, there are two main things to keep in mind: how hot the grill is and what temperature the internal body of the meat should be.

The grill can get pretty hot! A well-seasoned grill will usually handle high temperatures very nicely. However, this does not mean you can cook with dry or warm grilled butter as we have mentioned before. That would not work here.

Too often people forget that the outside of their food gets really dark and crispy from all of the caramelization which happens when foods like tuna steak are cooked properly.

Make sure the tuna is fresh

best grilled tuna steak

When buying pre-packaged or canned solid white meat fish like albacore, spring roll, or sushi grade tuna, make sure it is not more than six months old!

Fish that are older than this will have an unpleasant taste and smell due to things such as oxidation or other bacteria growth.

These tastes can be carried over when cooking the fish since most of the time you cook the fish side by side with other ingredients. The leftover bits of food also may reabsorb some of the affected flavorings, making them even stronger.

Also, do not buy frozen tuna because these fishes are usually packed in water which freezes very well, thus keeping the quality good. If there is no liquid inside then the freezer burn could potentially spoil the texture and flavor.

Cook it correctly

best grilled tuna steak

When cooking tuna, thickness is an important factor. Too thin and your tuna will taste raw with no flavor! If the meat feels like it could tear more than once when pressed, that’s also not good.

Thicker pieces of fish are cooked slightly longer because they take longer to cook through. The best grill-worthy thick fillets usually are around one half inch (1/2″) thick. For us, our favorite way to prepare this dish is season each side with salt and pepper, and then broil or pan fry them for two minutes per side. Then, apply butter to the top and toast under the broiler or in the oven until golden and delicious!

If you have leftover grilled tuna, try serving it as sushi – it’s perfect packed into grape leaves or seaweed.

Serve with your favorite salad and bread

best grilled tuna steak

When buying tuna, make sure it is fresh! If you feel it gives when pressed down, that is good. It should not be soft or flaky.

Tuna can become very salty as it oxidizes during cooking. This does not mean it is bad, but if you like more salt than other foods, then these may not taste great.

Avoid frozen fish since this might contain gel packs to prevent food from sticking to the pan. These could get stuck and burn which would not sound pleasant.

To cook your grilled tuna better, use a medium-high heat source such as a grill pan or stove top. Let the meat warm up for a few minutes before putting in the oven or eating immediately after taking it out of the grill.

Removing excess oil prior to serving will also help improve the flavor and texture. You can either do this yourself or have someone else do it for you.

Eat it with your friends

best grilled tuna steak

While most people enjoy grilled tuna as an appetizer, eating this dish as part of dinner is another way to make it special. If you are hungry after work, try having this meal for lunch so you can come back and eat it later!

Grilling the fish properly starts with choosing solid white meat tuna. Make sure to buy fresh tuna that does not smell too strong or contain water.

Once the fish is cooked through, take it off the grill and place in a pan or plate. Let it cool down slightly before serving it next to some potatoes and broccoli to soak up all of the leftover juices.

If you love spicy foods, have some extra virgin olive oil and baste the steak while cooking to add more flavor.

Tell them how good it is

best grilled tuna steak

When cooking meat, there are two main things to consider: How well it cooks and what kind of flavor you want to develop. For this article, we will focus on the second thing!

When cooking meat, like chicken or fish, there is usually a recommended temperature for cooked perfection. Depending on the thickness of the food, this takes anywhere from three minutes to one hour.

But before that, you should really know how to cook the raw meat! This means knowing whether it needs salt and/or fat to help it taste better as well as how to season it!

The best way to grill tuna steak is by starting with cold meat. If using thawed frozen meat, make sure to let it warm up properly before grilling so it does not burn.

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