This recipe for grilled tuna steak is fast and easy. Thick tuna steaks get marinated in a zesty soy orange marinade and then grilled until they are lightly charred on the outside but still tender and delicate inside. For extra flavor, brush some additional marinade on the steaks while cooking.
I love cooking on my grill all year, and especially in the summer. Grilling is a great way to get delicious meals on the table without spending too much time in a hot, stuffy kitchen. Plus, it’s an easy way to entertain friends and family.
You can serve these grilled tuna steaks with a simple side dish or your favorite vegetables. For a complete meal, serve this fish with a cucumber radish salad, grilled Italian sweet peppers, and wild blend rice.
Here is Why This Recipe Works
- The grilling method: The high heat of the grill cooks the outside of the tuna quickly, creating a nice crust. The inside of the tuna remains moist, tender, and rare.
- Minimal Preparation Time: This recipe is perfect for those with busy schedules, as it requires minimal preparation and cook time. With a quick marinade and a brief stint on the grill, these tuna steaks can be ready to serve in just over 30 minutes.
- Crowd-Pleasing Flavors: The zesty soy orange marinade imparts a great flavor to the tuna steaks, making this recipe a surefire hit with friends and family.
- Lighter than frying: Tuna is a flavorful fish that’s perfect for grilling. By choosing to grill instead of fry, you can enjoy a delicious, lighter meal that still offers great flavor.
The Ingredients
Here is a list of the simple ingredients you will need for our grilled tuna steaks recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Tuna steaks. You can use fresh or frozen tuna (thawed completely). We used Ahi tuna steaks in the photo, but this recipe works with any type of tuna, such as albacore tuna, bluefin tuna, and yellowfin tuna steaks.
- Vegetable oil. Use an oil with a high smoke point for this recipe.
- Salt and black pepper
- Marinade. We combined orange juice, fresh ginger, and soy sauce with ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
How to Grill Tuna Steak
Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect when grilling tuna steaks. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade.
- Add the tuna steaks to the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Let the grill heat to about 500°F. It takes about 30 minutes to prep a charcoal grill so you can do this while the tuna marinates.
- Use a paper towel to pat the tuna steaks dry.
- Brush the fish with oil, and place them directly on the grill grates.
- Let the tuna cook undisturbed for 60 to 90 seconds, then turn it and repeat on the other side.
- If you want the tuna steaks cooked to medium or well-done, lower the heat (or move them to a cooler zone) and let them cook to your desired doneness. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice or homemade tartar sauce.
Tips for Success
- Prevent food from sticking to the grill: Clean the grill grates, then coat the grates and the fish in oil. If the fish sticks to the grill, slide a thin metal spatula or fish spatula under it to loosen it up.
- You don’t need a thermometer: This is one of the few meat recipes that you do not need a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. You can watch the side of the tuna as it cooks, and the color will change dramatically. Rare portions of the steak will look almost purple, and the well-done portion will turn white.
- Don’t overcrowd the grill. If you have too many tuna steaks on the grill at once, the temperature will drop, and the tuna will not cook evenly.
- Don’t overcook the tuna. Overcooked tuna will be tough and dry. I realize that some people prefer their tuna cooked well done, so this is totally personal preference. But be aware that the longer it cooks, the drier and tougher it will become.
- Choose a thick cut of tuna. Look for tuna steaks that are 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick (or thicker) so they don’t cook too fast and dry out.
Substitutions and Variations
Experiment with marinades: While the soy orange marinade is a crowd-pleaser, other flavor combinations also work. Try our Japanese marinade, the herb marinade in our grilled rack of lamb, or use a store-bought marinade.
Swap out the soy sauce: If you want to reduce the sodium content in the marinade or have a soy allergy, use coconut aminos as a substitute.
Use a dry rub: Instead of a wet marinade, season the tuna with a dry rub as a flavorful alternative. Our Cajun seasoning mix is great with tuna, or you can use a lemon pepper seasoning.
Storage and Reheating
In the fridge: Place leftover grilled tuna steaks in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag, and store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
In the freezer: Let the tuna steak cool completely then place it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
To reheat: When it comes to reheating grilled tuna steak, the key is to avoid overcooking and drying it out. To reheat your tuna steak, bring it to room temperature, then get a skillet smoking hot and sear it quickly on both sides.
More Recipes You Will Love:
We used fresh tuna in our tuna crudo, tuna poke bowls, and tuna sashimi salad. They are delicious ways to enjoy sushi grade raw tuna.
Our tuna piccata also uses fresh tuna steaks, but they get a quick sear in a hot skillet before getting topped with a tangy piccata sauce.
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Grilled Tuna Steak
Ingredients
Marinade for Tuna
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2 s teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Grilled Tuna
- 1 to 2 tuna steaks about 1-¼ to 2 inches thick
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt and pepper
- lemon dill aioli
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a shallow dish or a re-sealable food storage bag: soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, sugar, scallion, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the tuna steaks to the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Fire up a pellet grill, gas grill, or charcoal grill and let it heat to about 500°F. Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Brush them with a liberal coating of cooking oil then sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Place the tuna steaks directly on the hot grill grates and close the lid to the grill.
- Let the tuna cook undisturbed for 60 to 90 seconds then turn it and repeat on the other side. If the fish sticks to the grill, slide a thin metal spatula or fish spatula under it to loosen it up.
- If you want the tuna steaks cooked to medium or well-done, lower the heat (or move them to a cooler zone if using a charcoal grill) and let them cook for 3 to 5 minutes. You can watch the side of the tuna as it cooks and the color will change dramatically. Rare portions of the steak will look almost purple and the well-done portion will turn white.
Notes
- Fresh tuna steaks are best cooked rare or to a degree of rareness, depending on personal preference. You can cook them well done, however, they will be dry. If this is your first time cooking tuna steak, try them rare first. You can always toss them back on the grill if you want them cooked more.
- Add a liberal coat of oil to the grill grates and the surface of the tuna steaks.
- If the grill grates are clean and oiled, the tuna will loosen from the grill as soon as it gets a good sear. If you find the tuna sticks to the grate, sometimes all you need to do is let it cook for a few more seconds. If you still have trouble, slide a thin metal spatula under the surface to loosen it up.
- Use an oil with a high smoke point.
- If you have frozen tuna steaks, let them thaw completely before you begin.
- Nutrition calculation does not include the aioli sauce.
