This Ahi Tuna Salad is a colourful dish served with seared tuna steaks, sliced avocado, crunchy wontons and a delicious sesame ginger dressing.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like avocado, canola or grapeseed oil.
- Tuna steaks – try using sushi-grade ahi tuna or sashimi-grade salmon.
- Sesame seeds – white or black sesame seeds would both work here.
- Romaine lettuce – iceberg, bibb or Boston lettuce are the best substitutes.
- Carrot matchsticks – replace with the vegetable of your choice like edamame or spiralized zucchini.
- Red cabbage – broccoli slaw or Napa cabbage would also be delicious.
- Cucumber – try celery, zucchini or another vegetable of your choice.
- Green onions – use scallions or leave these out altogether.
- Avocado – substitute for a vegetable of your choice if you donāt like avocado.
- Wontons – tortilla strips add the same amount of crunch to the salad.
- Carrot – leave this out altogether if you donāt have any carrots on hand.
- Celery – you can leave the celery out.
- Sesame oil – grapeseed oil or olive oil can be substituted but they wonāt have the same flavour as the sesame oil.
- Rice vinegar – white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would be the next best option.
- Honey – try using agave or maple syrup.
- Minced ginger – fresh ginger is best but you can use ground ginger in a pinch.
- Soy sauce – tamari and coconut aminos are a great replacement for soy sauce.
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How to make ahi tuna salad
- Make the dressing.
- Season the tuna and coat in sesame seeds.
- Sear the tuna then slice.
- Assemble your salads and mix in the dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Cooking the perfect seared tuna
Making the perfect seared tuna can be tricky, especially when tuna steaks come in varying ranges of thickness. I typically do 30 seconds per side to make sure the tuna isnāt overcooked, but you can always cook them longer if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ahi tuna, also known as yellowfin tuna, is found in tropical or subtropical climates. Itās a great source of lean protein and is most commonly served seared or raw in sushi dishes.
Yes! This recipe is super healthy. Itās made with lots of fresh veggies and the tuna steaks are a great source of lean protein. Tuna is also low in carbs and high in nutrients like vitamin B and omega-3 fatty acids.
You should only eat raw ahi tuna if itās marked as sushi-grade or sashimi-grade. That means that the tuna has been properly cleaned and is safe for consumption.
Storing leftover salad
You can store the leftover salads in containers in the fridge up to 3 days. I would recommend storing the tuna and salad separately so the veggies themselves can stay fresh. The avocado should also be stored separately so that it doesn't brown. You can squeeze some lemon juice overtop and not slice the avocado until ready to be used again to prevent browning and softening.
Freezing the tuna
You can freeze the tuna steaks for up to 3 months. Store the tuna in an airtight glass container or in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. When youāre ready to eat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and serve over fresh salad.
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More ahi tuna recipes
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Ahi Tuna Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized tuna steaks (fresh or frozen, each steak should be about 8oz)
- Sesame seeds for encrusting tuna, plus more for garnishing
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks
- 1 cup sliced red cabbage
- 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- Wonton or tortilla strips (optional, for garnish)
Carrot Ginger dressing
- 1/2 medium sized carrot, grated
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- In a Magic Bullet, blender or food processor, blend ingredients for dressing. Set aside. If you don't have carrot or celery, you can just mix sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, ginger and soy sauce together but it won't be as authentic as real sushi-style dressing. It will still taste great though!
- Meanwhile, prepare veggies for the salad and divide evenly among four large salad bowls. Season tuna with salt and pepper before coating in sesame seeds.
- Add olive oil to a large frying pan over high heat. Wait until oil is smoking, then add tuna steaks, searing for 30 seconds per side. Remove from heat and slice with a sharp knife, adding half of each steak to each salad.
- Garnish each salad with sesame seeds and wonton strips, then add dressing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Chris says
Refreshing and delicious
Taylor Stinson says
So glad you enjoyed!
Rollyne says
So good! Will def do again but will double the dressing (with half the sesame oil). Delish
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed š
Alice Carlson says
Iāve been searching for a ginger dressing like this for so long. My husband does not care for sushi but he grudgingly agreed to try it. I let him have a taste of the dressing and he told me as long as the tuna looks like itās been on a a grill somewhat he is happy to try it!!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to help!! Hope you guys enjoy š
Justine says
This was really delicious. Instead of 2 tbs oil I did 1.5 and .5 of sesame oil.
Kat says
Hey girl, where in Toronto did you find your Ahi Tuna?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kat! I often find fresh Ahi Tuna from the Loblaws located in the former Maple Leafs Gardens at Church and Carlton but many Loblaws stores also have frozen Ahi Tuna in the frozen fish section and I use that when I can’t find fresh š
Mimi says
Just gorgeous. You cooked that ahi perfectly! Iām especially intrigued by the dressing – I thought you might have used carrot juice, but I love how you put magic bulleted it all!!!!!
Shama says
Do you defrost the frozen tuna steaks first? This looks awesome and I want to try!!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Shama! Yes you do š
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
Wow this salad is gorgeous! I also just saw it on Pinterest I had to come and check it out! Love it!
ps: I love that you are also from Toronto too š
Taylor Stinson says
Olivia, I absolutely LOVE your blog!!!! Thank you so much – considering how beautiful your recipes and photography are this is quite the compliment. I’m blushing haha
Marissa says
Whoa. Saw this on Pinterest and had to come immediately to get the recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks Marissa! Let me know how you like it š