The way that has worked best for me is to simply pan sear them.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, with a very small amount of oil, cook them on one side for a couple or three minutes, until that side of the fish is lightly browned.

Turn it and cook for a similar amout of time on the other side.

Reduce heat to medium low, brush top of fish with teriyaki sauce, and immediately flip the fish again so the boiling bubbling teriyaki sauce heats a little further into the fish, repeat so that each side has ben seared and then cooked a little more with the teriyaki.

Note the entire cooking time for the fish is less that 10 minutes, and the fish will be (and should be IMHO) very rare in the middle.

Additionally, as a very simple quick easy side dish with the tuna I made a couple of packages of Ramen noodles (without using the Ramen noodle "flavoring" packets) and then tossed the noodles with a small amount of teriyaki sauce, peanut sauce, and ginger-miso salad dressing.

Funny, my lunch today is leftover tuna steaks from last night.

I made a basting sauce of say, garlic, ginger and a dash of chili paste. basted it while grilling, but do not overcook! Tuna is best very rare as it is low in fat.

70F?? That's terrific Linda, it's 53F here!

Wow, Cathy, it's 62F here, clear and sunny. I'm still not gonna grill, though, LOL.

Linda, I agree that tuna is best rare, I like it grilled with a bit of teriyaki glaze.

Annie

DH goes tuna fishing every year so we eat a lot of tuna. I'm always looking for ways to prepare. This is more of a method than a recipe but I can vouch for the technique. It's fabulous!

After curing, you can season & use in any recipe you choose. It's awesome in a quick, late summer sautee of shallot, garlic, plum tomatoes, rosemary, & lemon with the tuna tossed in & served over pasta. It's also great as a protein topper for a large mixed green salad with olives, pistachios, etc.

Home Cured Tuna in Olive Oil
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

2 1/2 pounds fresh tuna fillets
Sea salt
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 to 3 sprigs fresh oregano
2 to 3 sprigs fresh marjoram
Extra virgin olive oil, to cover

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a baking dish just large enough to hold the tuna in 1 layer, place the tuna and sprinkle generously with the salt on both sides. Add the garlic, oregano and marjoram, then add enough olive oil to completely cover the tuna.

Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Cook until the tuna is thoroughly cooked and flakes easily, 3 to 4 hours.

Note: this will depend on the thickness of your tuna; you will know that it is done when it flakes easily and the fillets feel firm from the edges all the way to the center.

Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and set on a rack to cool completely. Transfer the tuna, with enough oil to cover, to jars and refrigerate until ready to use.

/tricia

Hi Linda - this is absolutely wonderful...so much of the yummy flavor stays in the tuna even after you rinse it off. Once you start mixing the rub/marinade, the aroma - wow. And any leftovers are great the next day atop a salad.

it's from Steve Raichlen's the Barbecue Bible.

It's gorgeous here today - wish I had some tuna!

Tuna Steaks, Madeira-Style
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 TBSP coarse salt
1 TBSP dried oregano leaves
1 TBSP dried basil leaves
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup EVOO, preferably Portugese, or as needed
4 tuna steaks (each 6-9 ounces and about 1 inch thick)
8 bay leaves
1. Combine the garlic, salt, oregano, basil, and pepper in a mortar and pound to a paste with the pestle, then work in enough oil to achieve a spreading consistency, 1 to 2 TBSP. (if you don't have a mortar and pestle, mash the ingredients together in a bowl using the back of a wooden spoon, or process in a mini-chopper or blender, adding the oil gradually. (this is what I do...))
2. Rinse the tuna steaks under cold running water, then drain and blot dry with paper towels. Using your fingers or a spatula, spread the spice paste on both sides of each of the steaks, then place in a baking dish just large enough to hold them flat in a single layer. Pour another 1/4 cup of the oil over the fish and turn the steaks once or twice to coat. Place a bay leaf under each steak and one on top, then cover and let marinate, in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, spooning the oil over the steaks occasionally.
3. Preheat the grill to high.
4. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Remove the tuna steaks form the marinade. Rinse and blot dry with paper towels, then brush on both sides with another 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange the steaks, facing in the same direction on the hot grate and grill until cooked to taste, 4-6 min. per side for medium well (the portugese like their tuna on the medium side of medium well), turning over carefully. For an attractive crosshatch of grill marks, rotate the steaks 90 degrees after the first 2 minutes on each side.
5. Transfer the steaks to serving plates and serve at once

I like them pan seared too and raw inside. I usually top with butter, lime zest and juice, some herbs. I use a cast iron skillet and sear all sides, holding them in place.
I like them that way grilled too, better, but I don't always want to heat up the grill for a little tuna steak.
If you ever go to Outback, they have a tuna appetizer that's great.

Ditto on all the posters--whatever you do, don't overcook.

My father used to do tuna steaks on the George Foreman grill. Just about foolproof. Get the grill hot, toss those babies in for just a few minutes. Nicely seared outside, still rare inside.

Fully cooked tuna tastes really dried out.

I like Yellowfin, but I avoid the albacore - I find it to be tougher and have less flavor. Because tuna is so lean, grilling outside is not much different from grilling indoors, unlike salmon (much fattier) which absorbs the smoke flavor much better.

I sometimes sprinkle Cajun seasoning on tuna steaks before grilling them, but for the albacore, I would probably do a marinade of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, lime juice, and olive oil. If the albacore is not tender, it can be used like canned tuna to make tuna salad, which is what I generally end up doing with it.

Usually you can tell somewhat from the comparative price how good a tuna steak will be - at least that has been my experience, and so I buy the most expensive one available, which can cost almost as much as sashimi grade.

It's close to 80° here, and so we are thinking about grilling outside as well.

Lars

We love Tuna steaks! I prefer yellowfin to albacore also.

I just season them up with any kind of seasoning and grill hot and fast on each side about 2 minutes (depending on thickness). Tuna steaks are meant to be eaten rare in the middle which is how we like it. But if you don't like rare Tuna then just cook it a little longer.

Lots of good info and ideas here, thanks!

I ended up going out for dinner with a girlfriend tonight spur of the moment, so the tuna will wait until tomorrow night's dinner.

I'll do as many of you said, just season them up and sear or grill.

It will be interesting to see how these yellowfin stack up to the albacore I got. The price was about the same, and I wasn't sure which to buy so I got both! LOL

Linda