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Ten-minute sesame-crusted tuna steaks with garlic pak choi, the whole dishTen-minute sesame-crusted tuna steaks with garlic pak choi, close up

Ten-minute sesame-crusted tuna steaks with garlic pak choi

10 min · 44 g protein · 310 cals / serving

Tuna steaks brushed with tamari, pressed into sesame seeds and seared hard for a minute or two a side so they stay rosy in the middle, then sliced over pak choi that wilts in the same pan with garlic and ginger. A sharp tamari, lime and sesame sauce goes over the top.

Servings2

Ingredients

  • 2 steaks (5 oz each) ahi tuna, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick, thawed and patted dry
  • 2 tbsp tamari, divided; or soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds, white, black or a mix
  • 2 tsp canola oil, divided
  • 4 heads baby pak choi (about 14 oz) bok choy, halved lengthways
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated, or from a tube
  • 2 tbsp water

Sauce

To serve

Steps

  1. Brush the tuna all over with 1 tablespoon of the tamari, then press both sides into the sesame seeds on a plate.
  2. Heat half the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear the tuna 1 1/2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second for rare (a minute longer each side for medium). Lift onto a board.
  3. Add the rest of the oil, the garlic and ginger to the pan for a few seconds, then the pak choi, cut side down. Add the water, cover and cook 2–3 minutes until the stems are just tender and the leaves wilted.Step 3, what it should look like
  4. Stir the remaining tamari with the lime juice and sesame oil. Slice the tuna thickly, lay it over the pak choi, spoon over the sauce and scatter with spring onion.

Good to know

Is rare tuna safe?

Buy tuna sold for searing or sashimi, or frozen steaks from a fishmonger you trust, and keep it cold until it hits the pan. If you prefer it cooked through, give it 2–3 minutes a side; it firms up and turns pale but stays tasty.

My sesame seeds burn before the tuna is done.

The pan is too hot. Medium-high is enough for a 3/4 inch steak: the seeds turn golden in the time the outside sears.

Can I use salmon?

Yes, sesame-crusted salmon is just as good. Give it 3 minutes a side, as it is best a little more cooked than tuna, at about 50 instead of 79.

Per

Calories
85
Protein
(55%)
12 g
Fat
(36%)
3 g
Carbohydrates
(9%)
2 g
of which sugar
1 g
Fiber
1 g
Sodium
306 mg

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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How

As written, 620 kcal goes into the pot and 828 g of ingredients comes out as about 730 g of food: 85 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.