This is a simple way to use frozen tuna, cooking quickly, served with easy sides.
Ingredients
Tuna
- 2 tuna steaks (~200 g each), frozen, about 2 cm thick
- salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
Tuna sauce (for cubing and tossing)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Bowl dressing
- 60 ml soy sauce (¼ cup)
- 60 ml rice vinegar (¼ cup)
- 60 ml water (¼ cup)
- 12 g sugar (2½ teaspoons)
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 7 g toasted sesame oil (1½ teaspoons)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Bowl
- steamed rice or quinoa
- cucumber, thinly sliced or lightly pickled
- green onions, for garnish
- kimchi (optional)
Method
Combine all tuna sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine all bowl dressing ingredients and set aside.
Thaw the tuna overnight in the fridge, then pat it very dry. Season with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds on all sides.
Heat the oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Sear the tuna until a crust forms but the centre is still red to pink, 60–90 seconds per side. Rest briefly.
Cube the tuna and toss with the tuna sauce.
To serve
Spoon rice into bowls. Add cucumber, dressed lightly with some of the bowl dressing. Top with tuna and green onions. Drizzle remaining bowl dressing over everything. Add kimchi if using.
Notes
- Keep the centre red to pink; well-done tuna dries out fast.
- The bowl dressing is the base layer; the tuna sauce punches up the fish specifically.
- Crispy rice variation: fry cold leftover rice in oil until a crust forms before building the bowl.