This Air Fryer Ahi Tuna Steak recipe is the perfect way to enjoy the luxury of ahi tuna right at home. It's flavored with my signature ahi tuna marinade, which is a mixture of soy sauce, everything bagel seasoning, lemon juice, and sesame oil.
These simple ingredients come together in the air fryer for a quick, elevated, and delicious dinner!
I take my at-home ahi tuna recipes very seriously. My Simple Seared Ahi Tuna is one of the most popular recipes on my blog and I love putting ahi tuna on salads, in ahi tuna tacos, and really anywhere!
I also love air fryer recipes, so why not combine these two things into the perfect air fryer tuna steak recipe?! And if you are looking to add an air fryer to your kitchen, check out Food and Wine's Guide to Air Fryers! They break it down for you so you can make the best ahi tuna steaks every time.
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Why You'll Love It
Cooking perfect tuna steaks at home is so much easier than you think! Here's why you'll love this cooking method for your perfectly cooked tuna steak.
- It's fast! Thanks to the air fryer, you are getting that tuna cooked quickly and efficiently! Just preheat the air fryer basket and pop your fresh tuna in for 1 minute to get restaurant-quality tuna steak in no time.
- Less mess. Getting a perfect sear on a tuna steak requires a hot skillet, hot oil, and quite frankly a lot of oil splatter. This is a delicious meal without the mess!
- Air frying is healthier! Did I mention using less oil too? Just place tuna steaks in the basket and you'll be surprised how nicely they cook up without a ton of oil. Perfect for a healthy meal.
- So many uses! Making air fryer tuna steaks for one easy weeknight meal is great, but what if you have leftover tuna steak? Use it for a light lunch by putting it on a fresh salad, roll it into spring rolls, or even add the seasoned tuna to some pasta!
- It's healthy! Tuna is a great source of minerals and nutrients while still being low in calories! Check out this article from Fresh Fish Daily UK for great nutritional information about yellowfin tuna.
What to Know About Shopping For Ahi Tuna
As someone who cooks ahi tuna recipes on the regular, I've become quite comfortable with shopping for it and comfortable with feeding it to my family. I shop at reputable places I trust such as Whole Foods and my local seafood shop.
There are not only the types of tuna to consider (yellowfin tuna, skipjack, albacore) but also I'm sure you want to know about the actual safety of consuming it!
I think after a little education, you may be open to making this at home! While you may be hesitant to cook tuna at home, according to Serious Eats, many recipes will call for "sushi grade" or "sashimi grade" tuna and these terms essentially mean nothing.There are no national governing bodies that decide "grade" for fish.
They state "..the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues advisory guidelines that sketch out processes for handling a variety of fish meant for raw consumption, those guidelines are not intended to determine the quality of the fish..." (Serious Eats).
It truly all comes down to the source of your fish and how much you trust their judgement. If they have labeled it "sushi" or "sashimi" grade, they have deemed it safe to eat raw. However consuming any under cooked or raw fish comes with a set of risks, so do your own research and decide what you are comfortable with!
🥂Make it A Rosy Moment
Ahi tuna is a luxury. I'll just say it! I love ordering it at a restaurant, but it's SO much cheaper to make at home and it truly makes the perfect weeknight meal! It also would be an easy way to impress guests for dinner or a date night at home! So here's some inspo for your own rosy moments...
Ruby Red Girls Night Party - This was an easy theme to pull off and the best way to spoil your friends is serving up perfectly cooked ahi steak while you sip wine and and enjoy conversation... just makes sense! Here's a full menu for the party:
- This Air Fryer Tuna Steaks Recipe
- Red Fruit Charcuterie Board
- Cheesy Stuffed Mushroom Caps
- Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
Date Night In - what's more romantic that cooking up a meal together? Trade in the restaurant reservation for some of the best tuna steak you'll ever have right at home. Serve with your favorite sides or use this easy menu for inspiration...
Important Ingredients
Did I mention that the delicious flavors in this tuna comes from only a handful of simple ingredients? Most delicious recipes start this way and here's what you'll need:
- Ahi Tuna Steaks - I know shopping for these can be intimidating. I always find sushi-grade raw tuna steaks. I typically get these from my local seafood shop or Whole Foods. Don't be scared to ask questions if you are nervous about consuming tuna that is a medium-rare steak or even raw. Most butchers can help walk you through why their product will work for your recipe!
- Marinade - My marinade is a little different...soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, everything bagel seasoning, salt, black pepper, and more go into this special mix. I outline why this marinade is hands down the key to the best air fryer tuna steaks in my seared ahi tuna recipe. This has been made by thousands of people and continues to be popular for good reason!
- Garnish- a great way to finish off an air fryer tuna steak is with some extra sesame seeds, sliced green onion, fresh herbs, or creamy sriracha mayonnaise.
This marinade is so popular I've even used it for salmon fillets!
Swaps and Substitutions
There's not a whole lot I would recommend swapping out, but if you have specific personal preferences, here are some ways to adjust the recipe:
- Coconut aminos instead of soy sauce in the marinade.
- Add in lemon zest for some extra flavor.
- You could add some brown sugar to create a beautiful crust on your fresh steaks.
- Serve them with some thinly sliced red onion
- Reserve some of the soy sauce marinade to serve as a dipping sauce!
- If you don't have lemon, lime juice will work too.
Full Recipe Below
Find the full list of ingredients & measurements below!
Step by Step Instructions
Air fryer seafood recipes have simple steps that make them a really popular choice for weeknight dinners at my house. Here's how to make them:
- Step 1: First whisk together the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish or large bowl then add the raw fish in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes up to overnight, flipping halfway through your marinating time so both sides of the steak have time to take on all of that delicious flavor!
- Step 2: When you are ready to cook the tuna, preheat your air fryer basket for 5 minutes. Place the tuna steaks in the air fryer basket and set the timer for 1 minute. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Step 3: Flip the tuna steaks over and continue cooking for the remaining 30 seconds.
- Step 4: Set aside to rest on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut against the grain of the tuna and slice into uniform slices.
Top Tip
The longer you season tuna steak, the more of a flavor explosion it will be! Consider prepping these steaks ahead of time and allowing them to marinate overnight for maximum flavor. Just put it in an airtight container and pop it in the fridge overnight!
Expert Tips
- You can definitely use frozen tuna steaks for this! I usually begin marinating my tuna while it's still frozen. This ensures a perfectly cooked medium-rare tuna steak! If you begin marinating at room temperature, you could easily overcook thee due to the air fryer cooking them so quickly.
- If you prefer a more medium doneness or even fully cooked tuna fish steaks, just cook for 2 minutes instead of 1.
- Use a meat thermometer! I promise this will not only help you with your fish and seafood recipes but also chicken, pork, and steak recipes! Cooking protein to the correct temperature is always more important than cook time.
- Don't use olive oil as a cooking oil for tuna steak. You need something with a high smoke point (avocado oil or coconut oil) so it doesn't burn during the cooking time.
- When shopping for tuna at the grocery stores, look for tuna that is cut in uniform thickness, has a deep red coloring, and doesn't have a fishy smell.
Cooking Perfect Tuna Steaks With a Meat Thermometer:
In addition to the quality of tuna you purchase, cooking it to the perfect temperature will also be a huge factor to how delicious it is! Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature for optimal doneness. Here are some general guidelines for how to cook tuna steaks:
- Rare: 90°-115°F
- Medium-Rare: 130°F
- Medium: 135°F
- Well Done: 145°F
Cooking fish and seafood to an internal temperature of 145°F is a good rule of thumb for any air fryer fish recipes you may be making!
💡Recipe FAQ
The cooking time isn't as important as the internal temperature. For a rare tuna steak cook to an internal temperature of 90 degrees. This is about 30-60 seconds per side!
This again comes down to the internal temperature! Don't leave it in the air fryer longer than 1 minute to avoid overcooking the tuna and drying it out. Marinating it before hand also helps a lot, even if you do want your tuna cooked medium to well done!
Yes! Check out the simple recipe in the card below for how to perfectly cook seasoned tuna steaks in the air fryer.
I like to set my air fryer to at least 400°F and allow it to preheat before adding the tuna into the air fryer basket.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Air Fryer Tuna Steak recipe, or any other of the delicious recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
How to Cook Air Fryer Tuna Steaks (Easy Recipe!)
Equipment
- 1 shallow dish
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 3-4 ahi tuna steaks
- ½ cup Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Mikes Hot Honey or regular honey
- Juice of 2 lemons
Instructions
- First whisk together the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish or large bowl then add the raw fish in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes up to overnight, flipping halfway through your marinating time so both sides of the steak have time to take on all of that delicious flavor!
- When you are ready to cook the tuna, preheat your air fryer basket for 5 minutes on the hottest setting it will go. Typically this is 400-425 degrees depending on the brand of air fryer you have.
- Place the tuna steaks in the air fryer basket and set the timer for 1 minute. Stay nearby during the cooking process! You will let this cook for 30 seconds, then flip the tuna over.
- Allow the tuna to cook for the remaining 30 seconds then remove and set aside to rest on a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife to cut against the grain of the tuna and slice into uniform slices.
Notes
If you prefer a more medium doneness or even fully cooked tuna fish steaks, just cook for 2 minutes instead of 1.
Use a meat thermometer! I promise this will not only help you with your fish and seafood recipes but also chicken, pork, and steak recipes! Cooking protein to the correct temperature is always more important than cook time.
Don't use olive oil as a cooking oil for tuna steak. You need something with a high smoke point (avocado oil or coconut oil) so it doesn't burn during the cooking time.
When shopping for tuna at the grocery stores, look for tuna that is cut in uniform thickness, has a deep red coloring, and doesn't have a fishy smell.
Jordan Baer says
So good! My husband and I loved it. We topped ours with smashed avocado.