Looking for a quick and easy dinner that tastes amazing?! This seared tuna soba noodle salad is ready in mere minutes and is packed with flavor. 

During summer, we love to find recipes that only take a few minutes to make (hello, cooler kitchen) but also don’t skimp on tasty flavors. Tuna cooks super fast and goes so great with a light soba noodle salad packed with vegetables.

What are soba noodles?

Soba is the Japanese term for buckwheat. So, soba noodles are noodles made from buckwheat flour but some are mixed with wheat flour. Most frequently, soba noodles are served chilled as they are in this salad.

For the soba noodle salad, I toss in lots of fresh, uncooked veggies to add lots of crunch. My favorites are cucumber, bell peppers and matchstick carrots but feel free to play around with the choices.

The seared tuna can be cooked to how done you prefer it. My family tends to like it only pink in the very middle. My favorite way to season it is with everything bagel seasoning. Salt and pepper are great too.

What is the best way to sear tuna?

1. Season the tuna with salt and pepper of your desired seasoning. I do everything bagel seasoning on the outside edges and then salt and pepper on the main parts of the tuna.
2. Heat oil (I prefer avocado oil) in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add tuna and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Flip tuna over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes depending on how well you want the inside. 
4. Holding the fish with tongs, sear the remaining edges for 10-15 seconds each.
5. Remove from pan and let rest for 1-2 minutes before slicing.

I use this recipe for meal prep a lot during the summer because I can just eat the entire meal chilled. That is so perfect for some of the 100 degree days we’ve been having where the last thing I want is a hot meal.

If you like this seared tuna soba noodle salad, be sure to check out these other great recipes featuring canned tuna or fresh tuna:

• Teriyaki Tuna with Volcano Sauce
• Hawaiian Tuna Cakes with Pineapple Salsa
• Wasabi Ginger Soy Tuna Crisps
• Mediterranean Tuna Salad
• Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl

If you make this seared tuna and soba noodle salad or any recipe from the blog, I’d love to hear about your experience. Let me know in the comments or snap a photo and tag it #mysuburbankitchen on Instagram or Twitter.

Yield: 6 servings

Seared Tuna Soba Noodle Salad

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Looking for a quick and easy dinner that tastes amazing?! This seared tuna soba noodle salad is ready in mere minutes and is packed with flavor. 

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Ingredients

Seared Tuna

• 6 sushi grade tuna steaks
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp everything bagel seasoning
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil

Soba Noodle Salad

• 6 oz soba noodles
• 3/4 cup matchstick carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped English cucumber
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Prepare soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine cooked soba noodles, carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add rice vinegar mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate.
4. Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Roll outer edges of tuna in everything bagel seasoning.
5. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add tuna steaks (work in batches if needed to prevent over crowding the pan) and cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
6. With fish between tongs, seared outer edges for 10-15 seconds. Remove from heat and slice.
7. Serve tuna over chilled soba noodles.

Notes

1. You can make the soba noodle salad 1-2 days in advance and keep chilled until ready to serve.