The Ultimate Blackened Tuna Steak Recipe

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This Blackened Tuna Steak is ready in about 10 minutes and is bursting with flavor! Serve it with your favorite side dishes, in tacos, or on a sandwich! I enjoy any type of blackened fish. Every time I go to a seafood restaurant, I order it in this style.

I began to experiment at home with various spices to replicate restaurant-style Blackened Tuna in my kitchen. It took me several attempts, but I eventually got it! Let’s get started on making delicious Blackened Tuna Steaks!

What is blackened tuna steak?

A Cajun dry rub is rubbed onto all sides of a raw tuna steak to make blackened tuna. The tuna is then cooked and sliced.

How to Thaw Tuna Fish?

Begin by thawing your frozen tuna. The best approach to defrost your seafood is to place it in the refrigerator the night before you prepare your tuna fillet dish.

Are you in a rush? Place the sealed tuna steaks in a dish of cold water to thaw to expedite the defrosting phase.

Blackened Tuna Steaks Recipe

The Blackened Tuna Steak is covered with a spicy dry rub, seared, and then quickly cooked in a pan, yielding a stunning blackened tuna steak that is medium-rare on the interior, or if you like it well done, keep it in your skillet a few minutes more.

Paul Prudhomme, a famed chef, invented pan-blackening. He proposed coating redfish in melted butter, dredging it in Cajun seasonings, and cooking it in an extremely hot cast iron skillet. He suggested pan-blackening outdoors on a BBQ grill because the technique creates so many stinging eyes from the smoke.

Tuna steaks, like beef steaks, are served blood-red and rare. This Cajun-type dish includes blackening spices and a remoulade sauce. In the middle is a stunning rare tuna with an explosive, spicy crust.

Paprika, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Onion Powder, Oregano, Salt, and Pepper are all you need for the blackened tuna flavor. This approach works with almost any sort of seafood. You could also use it on chicken or beef!

Simply combine and rub the spices and distribute them equally over both sides of the tuna. Heat the cooking oil in a big cast iron pan over medium to medium-high heat.

Once the oil has heated and is shimmering, add the Tuna Steaks. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side for rare, or 3-5 minutes on each side for medium to well done. Take away from the pan and serve right away.

Ingredients

For the Cajun Remoulade

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• 4 Tbsp Creole or grainy mustard

• 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish

• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp ketchup

• 2 Tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)

• 1 Tbsp sweet paprika

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ⅓ tsp sugar

• 1 large shallot, peeled and finely diced

• 2 Tbsp celery, finely diced

• 3–4 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 1 scallion (green and white parts), finely chopped

• Coarse salt, to taste

For the Blackened Tuna

• 2 ahi tuna loin steaks

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp paprika

• ¼ tsp dried thyme

• ¼ tsp celery salt

• 1–2 tsp cooking oil (plus melted butter for grilling, if desired)

Instructions

Make the Cajun Remoulade

1. Mix the Sauce:
   In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, ketchup, hot sauce, paprika, black pepper, sugar, shallot, celery, parsley, and scallion.

2. Adjust Seasoning:
   Taste and season with salt and more hot sauce if you like it spicier.

3. Chill:
   Transfer to a jar or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.

Blackened Tuna (Stovetop or Grill)

Pan-Searing Method

1. Prep the Tuna:
   Pat tuna steaks dry with paper towels.

2. Mix the Rub:
   In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, and celery salt.

3. Coat the Tuna:
   Rub the spice mixture all over the tuna steaks, pressing gently to adhere.

4. Sear:
   Heat 1–2 tsp oil in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until shimmering.
   Sear the tuna for about 60 seconds per side, or until a crisp crust forms and the outside is just opaque, but the center remains pink and rare.

5. Slice & Serve:
   Transfer to a cutting board, let rest a minute, then slice into ¼-inch pieces. Serve with a generous drizzle of Cajun remoulade and garnish with sliced scallions.

Grilled Blackened Tuna (BBQ)

1. Preheat Grill:
   Heat your grill to high for direct grilling. Place a cast-iron skillet on the grates to preheat as well.

2. Oil & Butter:
   Brush the skillet with oil. For extra flavor, brush one side of each tuna steak with melted butter.

3. Grill & Sear:
   Place tuna butter-side down in the hot skillet. Sear for about 2 minutes, then flip and brush the other side with more butter.
   Sear another 2 minutes, until a deep crust forms but the center stays rare.

4. Rest & Serve:
   Let rest a minute, then slice and serve with the remoulade.

Tips:

• For the most authentic “blackened” flavor, cook the tuna quickly over very high heat.

• Don’t overcook! Tuna is best served with a rare center.

• Cajun remoulade is also great with shrimp, crab cakes, or fries.

Trust me, your Pinterest followers are craving this tuna magic. Pin it and be the culinary hero they didn’t know they needed!

Blackened Tuna Steak on Blackstone Griddle

You can also make this blackened tuna steak on your Blackstone griddle. To make blackened tuna using a griddle, simply use the same rub technique explained earlier and add 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil to the griddle and cook 5-6 oz tuna steak for 1 – 1.5 minutes on each side, or until it’s blackened nicely. 

Once the blackened tuna steak is done, place it on the cutting board, slice it into 1/4 inch pieces, and serve with Cajun Remoulade or with whatever you prefer. 

Last words

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this blackened tuna steak recipe; as you can see, I’ve also added Cajun Remoulade sauce within the same article, so you don’t have to go elsewhere because this sauce goes amazingly with tuna. If you have any questions or concerns, or maybe you have some great suggestions regarding this tuna recipe, please let me know in the comments section, and I’ll be happy to assist. 

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