Teriyaki Tuna with Volcano Sauce

There are multiple tuna recipes out there, but this one will give you spice, crunch and the delicious flavor of teriyaki and the heat of volcano sauce. What more can you ask for?! 

This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious and healthy meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal! #teriyakituna #tunarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com


 

Teriyaki Tuna

As a quick and easy meal, this sesame crusted tuna can be made any day of the week. The prep is literally just 10 minutes and cook time is only 3-4 minutes.

My husband and I love tuna steaks and often struggle with new ways to prepare them. Sure you can sear them with a little sesame oil and serve them with a side of soy sauce for a quick meal, but that gets boring.

Now teriyaki tuna is one of the most frequent tuna recipes in my house. It is just too easy to make and is accompanied with so flavor!

Teriyaki & Volcano Sauce

For this creation I wanted to combine sweet with spicy. I used a teriyaki glaze traditionally used for salmon paired with a creamy volcano sauce inspired by spicy tuna sushi.

Lynn says: “OH.MY.HEAVENS! This is delicious. We have several Tuna lovers in the family, so this is a welcomed dish. Thanks for the recipe.”

Sesame seeds offer a crunchy contrast in texture and additional flavor. You can use traditional pale tan kind, black sesame seeds or a combination of both.

Honestly, there isn’t a reason to season the tuna beyond that. 

This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious and healthy meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal! #teriyakituna #tunarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com

Health Benefits of Tuna

Fish is good for you and ahi tuna is great for certain thing. It’s high in protein, vitamin D, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals.

Ahi tuna has some great health benefits but like everything else you should limit how much you consume it. It has a higher mercury level than other kinds of tuna so limiting how much you eat in a month is a good idea.

Justine says: “This was actually so good! Simple to make and had great flavor!”

Ingredients

Most of these ingredients are pretty simple. They can all be found at your local grocery store.

  • Teriyaki sauce – It’s super easy to just buy a bottle at your local grocery store, but you can also make homemade teriyaki sauce if you’re feeling fancy.
  • Ahi tuna steaks – You can usually walk up to the meat and seafood counter at you grocery store and they can cut some for you.
  • Sesame seeds – I like to use a combination of white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds. They provide a nice contrast and look pretty too.
  • Vegetable oil – I like to use vegetable oil to sear tuna steaks, but you could also use olive oil or canola oil if you’d prefer to.
  • Mayonnaise – This will be the base for our volcano sauce. You can certainly use store bought mayo, or you could even make your own at home.
  • Chili garlic sauce – This sauce is similar to sriracha, it’s just slightly thicker and chunkier in texture. You can find it down the international aisle.
  • Sweetened condensed milk – This is what gives our volcano sauce it’s creamy texture.
  • Sugar – In addition to the sweetness from the condensed milk, we need a little more. And plain white sugar will do just fine. You could also use brown sugar for a different flavor. 
  • Scallions – Also known as green onions, we use these as a garnish. I like the color contrast and flavor they add, but you can certainly leave them off if you’d like to. Cut them diagonally to make them extra fancy.
This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious and healthy meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal! #teriyakituna #tunarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com

How to Make Teriyaki Tuna

Although sometimes intimidating to make at home, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy these tuna steaks are to make at home.

  1. Make volcano sauce. Using a small food processor or immersion blender, combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Add chili garlic sauce slowly until you reached your desired heat. 
  2. Coat tuna steaks in sesame seeds. Combine white and black sesame seeds in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge both sides of the tuna steaks in sesame seeds. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil in pan. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or large frying pan over high heat.
  4. Sear tuna steaks. When vegetable oil is hot, place tuna steaks in the pan, cover. Cook on each side depending on desired temperature. It all depends on the thickness of your tuna steak.
  5. Top with teriyaki sauce. Remove tuna steaks from frying pan/cast iron skillet. Plate and top with teriyaki glaze.
  6. Add volcano sauce. There are two choices for the volcano sauce. You can put a dollop on the side, allowing individuals to dip according to their tastes OR you can put the volcano sauce into an airtight plastic bag and cut a small hole on one bottom corner and then pipe the sauce onto teriyaki tuna steaks.
  7. Add garnish. Garnish with scallions.

How to Serve Teriyaki Tuna

The serving options for this tuna recipe are really endless! I like to serve mine with a starch like white rice or egg noodles. They also pair really well with the teriyaki sauce.

If you’d like to add some veggies to your meal, saute some bell pepper and onion in vegetable oil and teriyaki sauce. You can also serve with a fabulous side dish like Baby Bok Choy.

This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious and healthy meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal! #teriyakituna #tunarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com

Tips and Tricks

While each tuna recipe will be slightly different, here are some tips and tricks to ensure you’re cooking your tuna properly.

  • Wash your tuna steaks before you start with clean water to get off all the scales and dirt.
  • Use a paper towel to soak up all the water from the tuna before cooking.
  • If your tuna is fresh then it can be eaten rare or medium rare with a little pink in the middle.
  • Cook for 1-2 minutes for rare and 2-3 minutes for medium rare.
  • Sear for the same amount of time on both sides for even cooking.
  • Using a marinade helps add flavor and extra moisture to your tuna.
  • If you’re using frozen tuna steaks, cook all the way through to the middle with no pink to avoid getting sick from food poisoning.

Storage and Freezing

Storage: You can store any leftover teriyaki tuna in an airtight container or large resealable plastic bag. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. 

Freezing: You can also store leftovers in the freezer as well. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious and healthy meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal! #teriyakituna #tunarecipes www.savoryexperiments.com

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Want to learn more about tuna? I learned an incredible amount of information from my trip to Japan and discussion with a famous sushi chef. Check it out HERE!

Close up of Teriyaki Tuna
Teriyaki Ahi Tuna on a white plate with leafy greens

Teriyaki Tuna Recipe

4.60 from 110 votes
This Teriyaki Tuna recipe brings a delicious meal to the table in just over 20 minutes! This ahi tuna recipe is a quick and easy meal!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Teriyaki Tuna:

Volcano Sauce:

Garnish:

Instructions

For volcano sauce:

  • Using a small food processor or immersion blender, combine mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Depending on your tastes for walking on the spicy side, add chili garlic sauce slowly until you reached your desired heat. Set aside.
  • Combine white and black sesame seeds in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge both sides of the tuna steaks in sesame seeds. Set aside.
  • Heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or large frying pan over high heat.
  • The name of the game is to sear, which means high heat, spitting oil and in my house, the smoke detector going off, so prepare your work space accordingly.
  • When vegetable oil is hot, place tuna steaks in the pan, cover. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes depending on desired temperature. Two to three minutes will be a medium rare for a 1 1/2 inch tuna steak. I like mine rare, so I go for 1-2 minutes on each side. It all depends on the thickness of your tuna steak.
  • Remove tuna steaks from frying pan/cast iron skillet. Plate and top with teriyaki glaze.
  • There are two choices for the volcano sauce. You can put a dollop on the side, allowing individuals to dip according to their tastes OR you can put the volcano sauce into an airtight plastic bag and cut a small hole on one bottom corner and then pipe the sauce onto teriyaki tuna steaks.
  • Garnish with scallions.
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was! 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 772 kcal, Carbohydrates: 17 g, Protein: 45 g, Fat: 57 g, Saturated Fat: 17 g, Cholesterol: 85 mg, Sodium: 2144 mg, Potassium: 602 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 13 g, Vitamin A: 3765 IU, Vitamin C: 0.2 mg, Calcium: 171 mg, Iron: 4.2 mg
Author: Chef Jessica Anne
Calories: 772
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: teriyaki tuna
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.60 from 110 votes (86 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    My husband just caught 2 fresh tuna! Your recipe was perfect!! I added some brown sugar and fresh ginger to a bottled teriyaki sauce I had. Reduced it for a few minutes on low. I added some fresh seaweed to the dish. Delicious!!

  2. Trying to make it and can’t find what you do for the teriyaki sauce. No where in the directions. Kinda frustrated.

  3. 4 stars
    This was delicious, but I don’t understand the sauce. It called for so much sweetness! I adjusted the sauce recipe, using half and half, and 1/2 tbl of sugar instead of the sweetened condensed milk and extra sugar, and I still found it a bit sweet. I also added just a bit of sesame oil and it was yummy. I marinated the tuna in teriyake sauce for 1/2 hour.

    1. Thanks for the feedback! American volcano sauce is sweet and spicy, hence the sugars, but if you just want hot, no need to use them, or cut back.

  4. 5 stars
    Fantastic!
    I came home exhausted from work and my daughter handed me a hunk of tuna caught this morning that someone gifted her. You CAN’T freeze that…so I found this quick recipe to throw down in a hurry. It was truly spectacular. No, really. Fast, with all of the boxes checked: sweet and spicy and crunchy with gorgeous presentation. Restaurant quality for a home cook. I am planning to make this again for a dinner party with foodies…it’s that good. Thank you!

    1. First of all, how jealous am I that you had that fresh of tuna???? The only time I’ve been so lucky was while we were in Japan and it was life changing. But, I am also SO glad you loved the recipe- one of our favorites too! In fact, I made a video of it last week and put it on top of a salad after just using the sauces as dressing. Enjoy!

      1. I am super lucky that my daughter works at a local fishing port and she brings home fresh caught Dungeness crab and halibut, tuna and rockfish all the time. Poor me, eh? So I am always looking for great recipes and this one is superb. The next day hubby took some into work and shared with a guy who’ son is a Michelin rated chef…he said it was outstanding…whew! Did I mention it was the NEXT DAY?
        Thanks again! Color me happy:))
        .

  5. 5 stars
    Tonight is the 4th time I have cooked this recipe ….and the 4th time it was well received! All 5 family members that dined tonight voted a strong thumbs up! Highly recommended! Thanks!
    BobB

    1. Hi Rick, if you click on the link for teriyaki sauce, it takes you to the recipe for the glaze which is just a teriyaki sauce. You can certainly buy it if you don’t feel like making your own.

  6. 5 stars
    Excellent! Loved the crunch the sesame seeds brought to the dish. I think the volcano sauce is what made it beyond just good.

  7. 5 stars
    OH.MY.HEAVENS! This is delicious. We have several Tuna lovers in the family, so this is a welcomed dish. Thanks for the recipe.