These Miso Sesame Tuna Rice Bowls are filled with seared ahi tuna, stir fried veggies and a savoury miso sauce topped with fresh avocado!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tuna steaks – this dish would be great with sushi-grade or cooked salmon.
- Olive oil – coconut oil or any neutral oil like canola oil or grapeseed oil will also work.
- Sesame seeds – use white or black sesame seeds or a combination of the two.
- Jasmine rice – any white rice or brown rice would be good in these bowls.
- Broccoli – use fresh or frozen broccoli or replace it with another vegetable of your choice.
- Carrot – swap out for another veggie of your choice.
- Red pepper – swap out for another veggie of your choice.
- Snap peas – snow peas or green beans will also work.
- Avocado – use sliced, diced or even mashed avocado or leave this out altogether.
- Scallions – substitute for chives or leave this out altogether.
Miso sesame sauce
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- Sesame oil – use grapeseed oil or olive oil instead.
- Soy sauce – coconut aminos or tamari are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Honey – brown sugar or agave will also help sweeten up the sauce.
- White miso soybean paste – add a bit more soy sauce if you don’t have any white miso paste.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Sriracha – Sambal Oelek will help bring the spice or you can leave this out for a milder flavour.
How to make this recipe
- Make the rice.
- Whisk together the sauce.
- Coat the tuna.
- Cook the veggies with half the sauce.
- Sear the tuna.
- Assemble your bowls and dig in!
What toppings to use
These tuna rice bowls can be very versatile! If you're not a fan of broccoli, carrots or red peppers, use your favourite veggies as toppings and enjoy the most of these bowls. Here are some other toppings you can use:
- Baby corn
- Bok choy
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini
- Water chestnuts
- Cabbage
- Green beans
- Snow peas
Frequently Asked Questions
Ahi tuna refers to yellowtail or bigeye tuna. It has a pink to dark red colour and is a great source of lean protein. Albacore tuna (or the kind of tuna you’d normally get from a can) is higher in calories with a milder flavour.
Miso paste is a Japanese cooking staple made out of fermented soybeans and has a really salty, creamy taste that pairs perfectly with the honey and soy sauce in this recipe. There are a few different variations to miso paste but for this recipe, you will want to use white miso.
Yes! This recipe is packed full of nutrients and lean protein with 498 calories per serving. If you want to make this recipe even healthier, you can use brown rice instead of white rice.
Storing and reheating
Store all the ingredients for these bowls separately in the fridge in airtight glass containers for up to 3 days. The rice and stir fry veggies can be stored together because they will reheat well. When you’re ready to enjoy your bowls, assemble them fresh.
I don’t recommend reheating these bowls or you will overcook the tuna. That being said, if you prefer to eat the tuna warm and don't mind any overcooking, you can reheat it in a skillet.
Freezing the tuna steaks
Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t freeze well as a whole, but you can freeze the tuna steaks. Store them in an airtight glass container or a freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. The night before you make your bowls, stick them in the fridge overnight to defrost them serve them with fresh toppings.
More tuna recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- You can order some black and white sesame seeds here.
- Get square glass meal prep bowls here for leftovers.
Miso Sesame Tuna Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tuna steaks
- 1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 cup cooked jasmine rice
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 3 scallions, sliced
Miso sesame sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp white miso (soybean) paste (if you don't have miso paste, sub in 2 tbsp soy sauce)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Cook jasmine rice according to package directions in a rice cooker or on the stovetop (usually 1 cup rice and 1 1/4 cup water). Chop and prepare veggies and whisk ingredients together under the miso-sesame sauce heading.
- Coat piece of tuna in sesame seeds and season with a bit of salt. Set aside.
- Add veggies to a large skillet, cooking over med-high heat with half of the sauce.
- Meanwhile, heat olive/coconut oil over high heat in a small skillet. Once oil starts to smoke, add tuna to the pan, cooking for 45 seconds each side (time this on your phone or a kitchen timer). Sear the ends of the tuna for a couple seconds. You basically want to get a good sear on either side and then lightly cook the ends. Remove from heat and cut into thin slices against the grain with a very sharp knife.
- Add jasmine rice to each bowl, then add stir fry veggies. Top with fresh sliced avocado and divide tuna among bowls. Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Pour reserved sauce (if any) and/or soy sauce overtop of tuna and serve!
Kim says
We’ve made this recipe multiple times. The sauce is fabulous and it’s a great recipe for cleaning out the veggie drawer.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy it’s a keeper 🙂 Thanks for your review, Kim!
Deanna fuller says
The Best fish,rice and vegetable recipes , i make twice a week.
Kylie says
Delicious. Would happily make this again
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Steven C says
Great recipe! I cook a lot of Asian food and this is a great spin on the classic seared Ahi Tuna. The only change I made was to sub 1 TBSP Mirin for 1 TBSP of the honey. Added a few other veggies. The white miso worked great in this recipe. Thanks!