Pistachio-Crusted Tuna with Black Sesame Seeds: a light, tasty and spectacular recipe in 3 steps!
After a short summer break spent recharging at my seaside home, I’m back! I missed you all so much, but unplugging was essential to recharge my batteries and come back with new simple and tasty ideas to propose in the kitchen.
During these holiday days I tried to keep things light, so the first recipes I will share will be dedicated to flavor without excess. Today’s dish is showy but very easy to prepare: fresh tuna in a pistachio and sesame crust that I love. These tiny seeds are also richer in calcium than milk, did you know? Introducing them more often into our diet is certainly a good and healthy habit! So, if like me you love fish and simple dishes, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients and Textures
The secret of this dish lies in contrast: the tenderness of the tuna steaks that melt in your mouth meets the external crunch given by the Bronte pistachios and the black sesame seeds. A mix that cannot be described, it must be tried!
The secret to perfect cooking
Although it’s a quick recipe, cooking tuna hides a pitfall: if it cooks too long, the meat becomes tough and dry. Here are my tips for a winning result: I recommend about 3 minutes per side, but adjust according to the thickness of the fillet. When in doubt, it’s better to turn off the heat one minute earlier!
Because cooking is brief and the center remains pink, make sure the tuna has been previously frozen with a rapid blast-freeze to eliminate any risk related to parasites. Food safety first!
How to serve it
Once ready, slice it into thick slices and serve with a seasonal salad or steamed vegetables. It’s the perfect dish to make an impression with minimal effort and few calories!
CURIOSITY: Did you know that tuna belongs to the category of bluefish? Its flesh is fairly lean and rich in unsaturated fats such as omega-3s, ideal for our body’s well-being.
Find other fish recipes here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Cooking time: 6 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Grill, Barbecue
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, All seasons
Ingredients
⚠ IN THIS RECIPE THERE ARE ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work at no extra cost to you!
- 2 fillets tuna (about 300 g each (≈ 10.6 oz / ≈ 0.66 lb each))
- 50 oz pistachio pieces
- 40 oz black sesame seeds
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (+ to taste)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Brush
- 1 Griddle
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Knife
Preparation
Wash the tuna fillets under running water, pat them dry with paper towels and brush with 2 tablespoons of oil on each side.
In a bowl combine the pistachio pieces and the black sesame seeds, then press the fillets into the coating making it adhere well with your hands.
Then flip them and press the coating onto the opposite side as well.
Heat a griddle very well with a little oil. Make sure it is smoking hot before placing the fish; this will immediately seal the crust, keeping the inside juicy. Then cook the fillets about 3 minutes per side.
Remove the pistachio-crusted tuna from the griddle and slice it into pieces about 3/4 inch thick (if you respected the cooking times it should remain pink inside), then arrange them on a serving plate.
Season with a drizzle of raw oil, salt, pepper and serve while still hot.
And voilà… the seared tuna in a crust of pistachios and black sesame seeds is ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!
Tips, notes, variations and suggestions
🔵If you don’t like black sesame seeds you can replace them with white sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Or opt for only the pistachio pieces.
🔵Try spreading the tuna fillets gently with yellow mustard or, if you prefer a more Asian flavor, with a little soy sauce instead of the oil before breading them — they’re amazing!
🔵For an even tastier and more spectacular version: serve the fillets with a fresh and aromatic sauce: try grating the zest of an untreated lemon and squeezing its juice. Mix them into plain natural yogurt and season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and dill. Alternatively, drizzle the fillets with a reduction of sugar and balsamic vinegar prepared in advance. Complete the dish with a side of your choice. You’ll make a great impression!
Storage
👉 This tasty main course should be eaten immediately, as it involves raw fish. However, if there are leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a maximum of 1 day. I recommend eating it cold in a salad, since reheating would make the meat tough.
👉 Do not refreeze the tuna if leftovers remain but consume it within 24 hours since the fish has already undergone a prior freezing process.
1. How can you tell if fresh tuna is of good quality?
The tuna should have a bright red color (not brown), a pleasant sea smell and firm flesh. If possible, prefer Mediterranean bluefin or yellowfin tuna.
2. What does “blast-frozen” tuna mean and why is it important?
Blast-freezing is a rapid freezing process at very low temperatures that eliminates the risk of parasites such as Anisakis. It is essential to ask your trusted fishmonger to blast-freeze the fish when you plan to consume it raw or quickly seared as in this recipe.
3. Can frozen tuna be used for this recipe?
Yes, provided you thaw it slowly in the refrigerator (not at room temperature). Once thawed, pat it thoroughly with paper towels: the tuna must be very dry so the crust adheres properly and you avoid a “boiled” effect in the pan.
4. How do you slice tuna steak without it falling apart?
To get perfect, clean slices, use a very sharp knife with a smooth blade. After cooking, let the steak rest for about 30 seconds on a cutting board before slicing: this allows the juices to redistribute, making the meat firmer when cut.
5. Can you refreeze tuna after cooking?
No, the golden rule in cooking is: never refreeze an item that has already been frozen or blast-frozen, unless it has been radically transformed (for example, part of a long-cooked sauce). In the case of seared tuna, cooking is too brief. Since the tuna for this recipe should be blast-frozen in advance, once thawed and cooked it must be consumed within 24 hours.
