Pan Seared Tuna Steak Noodle Salad
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Looking for a quick and easy dinner that tastes amazing? This pan seared tuna steak over a fresh tasting 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 flavor. Pan seared tuna steak cooks super fast and goes so great with a light soba noodle salad packed with vegetables.
Why You’ll Love This Sesame Seared Tuna Recipe
- It is ready quickly. Pan seared tuna steaks are ready in minutes and the salad comes together quickly too.
- Fresh flavors! With fresh vegetables and a light dressing, this recipe is perfect for hot summer days.
- Limited Cooking! The last thing anyone wants is a hot house during the summer. With the limited cooking needed for this recipe, you can help keep the house cooler during the hot temperatures.
- Lots of Variations! You can easily change the noodles from soba noodles to regular pasta. If you don’t have a specific vegetable on hand, leave it out or switch with something else.
Pan Seared Tuna Steak and Soba Salad Ingredients
- Tuna Steaks: Since you will only be searing these, be sure to choose sushi grade tuna.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, and everything bagel seasoning work great with this recipe. If you don’t have the everything bagel seasoning, you can use sesame seeds alone.
- Neutral Oil: I use avocado oil to sear the tuna steaks.
- Soba Noodles: These form the base of the noodle salad.
- Vegetables: I use carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper since they are all great without any cooking.
- Rice Vinegar: This adds acidity to the dressing.
- Soy Sauce
- Toasted Sesame Oil
- Crushed Red Pepper: You can omit this or reduce it if you don’t want any heat to the salad.
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 pan seared tuna steaks 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 pan sear tuna steaks?
- 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. A lot of people love sesame seed seared tuna which would just be made by replacing the everything bagel seasoning with sesame seeds.
- Heat a neutral oil (I prefer avocado oil) in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add tuna and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Flip tuna over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes depending on how well you want the inside. If you want it rarer, you can simply sear only the sides of the tuna.
- Holding the fish with tongs, sear the remaining edges for 10-15 seconds each.
- 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.
More Recipes Featuring Canned or Fresh Tuna
If you like this pan seared tuna steak and 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
Seared Tuna Soba Noodle Salad
Ingredients
Pan Seared Tuna Steaks
- 6 sushi grade tuna steaks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
Soba Noodle Salad
- 6 ounces soba noodles
- 3/4 cup matchstick carrots
- 3/4 cup chopped English cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
Soba Noodle Salad
- Prepare soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.6 ounces soba noodles
- In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper.3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- In a large bowl, combine cooked soba noodles, carrots, cucumber, and bell pepper. Add rice vinegar mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate.3/4 cup matchstick carrots, 3/4 cup chopped English cucumber, 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
Pan Seared Tuna Steaks
- Season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Roll outer edges of tuna in everything bagel seasoning.6 sushi grade tuna steaks, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning
- 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.2 tablespoons avocado oil
- With fish between tongs, seared outer edges for 10-15 seconds. Remove from heat and slice.
- Serve tuna over chilled soba noodles.
Notes
- You can make the soba noodle salad 1-2 days in advance and keep chilled until ready to serve.
Nutrition
