Gordon Ramsay’s Seared Ahi Tuna on the Grill

Today I’m recreating two of Gordon Ramsay’s recipes which are two different marinades for Seared Ahi Tuna, but on the grill. This is one of my favorite dishes to have when I’m out of town or on date night with my wife, but I’d figured it could be just as easy to make at home, so I’d thought to give it a try. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

Ahi Tuna, also commonly known as Yellowfin Tuna and in my opinion one of the best fish you can get out there, it is buttery, fresh and just overall amazing. So in order for me to learn how to sear this nice piece of Tuna steak without ruining it, I went to the one and only Gordon Ramsay, found a few videos on YouTube of him teaching how to do Ahi Tuna and there are few takeaways that I would like to share with you. 

• Buy the right type of fish and make sure it's fresh. Tuna should be red or pink, never brown. You should be able to smell the ocean! 
• When cutting into your tuna loins, make sure you do thick slices - it will help it keep its nice texture, it will keep its juices and avoid serving a dry tuna.
• You want to make sure to sear it on high heat and for a small amount of time. Tuna does not have that much fat which makes it easier for it to become dry and flaky if overcooked.

So the two recipes I am going to explore today are quite similar in the way they are finished and cooked. First I start with a Seared Ahi Tuna Marinated in Soy Sauce, brushed with fresh Wasabi and topped off with sesame seeds - this one is literally making me cry, and it is just a sign that the spicy level is about to go off the roof. The second Tuna steak is covered in beaten egg whites, seasoned with salt, pepper and a whole lot of lemon zest,  finished off with a thin layer of sesame seeds and of course, more lemon zest. Although Ramsay does his on the stove, I am going to sear them both in the grill to get that smoky FOGO flavor into it. Let’s get the cooking started!

Video Recipe

Directions:

Soy & Wasabi Marinated Tuna: 

1. Place the soy sauce in a deep container and place the Tuna in it. Make sure all the sides are covered in soy sauce - let it rest in the soy sauce for a few minutes
2. Prepare your Wasabi as instructed in the packaging. 
3. Use a brush to put your wasabi paste on the tuna loin, make sure to cover all of its sides. 
4. Place the sesame seeds in a container or plate, and start building that crust around the Tuna. You can use a spoon or your hands to make sure they stick well. 

Lemon Zest Tuna:

1. Whisk your egg whites, and place your Tuna loin and cover it up. You can also use a brush to do it. 
2. Take one of your limes and use a grater, put zest all over the tuna, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the sesame seeds in a container or plate, and start building that crust around the Tuna. You can use a spoon or your hands to make sure they stick well. 
4. Take the other lime and the grater and start grating the zest on top of the layer of sesame seeds. 

To sear both tunas: 

1. Light up your charcoal, I am using the FOGO Premium Bag because it lights up fast and gets really hot. 
2. Place your cast iron skillet on the grill, and add your choice of oil. Let the oil get nice and hot. 
3. Let the oil get to its smoke point and then gently place the Tuna. Cook for about 45 seconds per side to get that sesame layer nice and crispy
4. Remove the tuna, slice it at around 1” thickness and serve. This goes greatly with some seaweed salad! 

Spicy or Citrusy?

Once again, I have my friend Ninja from Salty Tales YouTube channel joining me. Although he has told me he is a big meat lover, I am 100% sure he is going to love the Ahi Tuna Steaks. 

We start by cutting it and WOW the colors just pop up. You can see the thin layer of the white and black sesame crust, perfectly crispy; then this really bright pink just takes it even further. Of course with the amount of wasabi that we put on one of them, we want to try that one first, and to our surprise it is not spicy at all but it does have a great kick of the wasabi flavor, in fact we ended up adding more wasabi to our bites. The tuna is just creamy and cooked perfectly, and dipped in soy sauce it is just the right balance. 

We decided to try the lemon zest one, and wow you also get the citrusy flavor and aroma in this one. For me it was hard to decide which one better, but Ninja was really into the wasabi one. 

In the end, I think this is just the perfect dish to do any night of the week, it's quick and most importantly super delicious. I really feel like this is better than what I could get at any restaurant, there is something that doing it yourself and seeing all the ingredients come together, that makes it just so much better.  With the right ingredients and a great looking tuna, this can step up your dinner nights, or even date night!

If you’ve never cooked Ahi Tuna, do not be afraid to give it a try, it is my first time trying it too. Sometimes it can be trial and error and sometimes you just hit that home run on your first try. But the whole process is what makes it fun!  

Have you ever cooked Ahi Tuna, how do you cook it? Let me know in the comments.