If you’ve ever had sushi, then you know how versatile it can be when it comes to different types of food.
It doesn’t matter if it’s raw or cooked — it always tastes great.
What Are The Ingredients In Tuna Tataki?
Tuna tataki is an incredibly simple dish that requires very few ingredients.
There are only four main ones: sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.
The other ingredients will vary depending on what type of fish you choose to use as your protein source.
Soy sauce is usually used because its flavor goes with everything.
In this case, we decided to go with Japanese soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce.
Regular soy sauce has salt added to it already, so there isn’t much need for additional salt.
The rest of the ingredients were chosen based on what was available at our local grocery store.
Most people would have trouble finding soy sauce without adding sodium chloride (table salt) to it.
To avoid that problem, we chose not to add salt when making our own version.
Rice vinegar also contains natural salt, but since we didn’t want to add extra salt either, we went with white wine vinegar.
We also wanted to cut down on using sugar as well, so that helped us pick out some honey from the list of ingredients.
Fish options for tuna tataki
- Yellowfin Tuna (1 pound)
- Albacore Tuna (1 pound)
- Pacific White Shrimp (1/4 pound)
- Swordfish Steak (2 pounds)
Vegetarian alternatives for tuna tataki
- Lentils (1 cup)
- Brown Rice (1 cup)
- Bok Choy (1 head)
- Broccoli (1 bunch)
- Spinach (1 bag)
Other ideas for tuna tataki
- Chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- Salmon fillets (skinless)
- Ground beef (lean ground beef)
- Beef tenderloins (lean)
- Eggplant (1 large)
- Shiitake mushrooms (10 ounces)
How Do You Make Tuna Tataki?
Tuna tataki is an incredibly simple dish that requires only three main ingredients: canned tuna, lemon juice, and wasabi paste (or horseradish).
The easiest way to prepare this dish would be to just toss everything into your blender together with some olive oil, but there are other methods as well.
You could also use a mortar and pestle to grind up the tuna until smooth, but we prefer our tuna tataki less processed.
Before you get started on making your own version of this delicacy, let’s take a look at what makes tuna tataki so special.
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste or prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 ounces canned albacore tuna
- Olive oil spray
- Lemon wedges
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Tuna Tataki?
Tuna tataki is an excellent dish that will not only satisfy your taste buds but also provide many health benefits as well.
The main ingredients in this dish include mackerel fillets, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, seaweed flakes, ginger powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
This combination of flavors gives the tuna tataki its unique flavor while providing all of the essential nutrients needed by our bodies.
Tuna is packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which help boost brain function, improve memory, prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure, and have other positive effects on our overall health.
The most important thing about tuna is that it contains high amounts of selenium, which helps keep our body healthy from inside out.
Selenium has been found to reduce cancer risk, increase immunity against infections, improve fertility, and strengthen bones.
What Are The Benefits Of Eating Tuna Tataki?
The main benefit of eating tuna tataki is that it’s an excellent source of protein.
Tuna has more than twice the amount of omega 3 fatty acids as salmon, and contains even higher levels of healthy fats like DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).
These nutrients help promote brain function, support heart health, and protect your skin from aging and sun damage.
Tuna also provides essential minerals such as magnesium and zinc, which have been shown to improve memory and mental performance in older adults.
Eating fish regularly is linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke, too.
In fact, according to The American Heart Association, “eating just two servings of seafood every week could reduce your chances of having a heart attack by up to 25 percent.”
And while some people may think that tuna is high in mercury, this isn’t actually true.
In fact, canned tuna is safe to eat because it undergoes a process called demethylation, where most of the mercury is removed before it reaches consumers.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Eating Tuna Tataki?
Tuna Tataki Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound fresh yellowfin tuna (cut into 1 inch chunks)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 small carrot (chopped finely)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch cayenne pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
The main thing that makes this tuna recipe so special is its versatility.
You could use salmon instead of tuna, if you prefer.
The only difference would be the amount of time needed to marinate your fish before cooking it.
If you don’t have access to fresh fish but do have frozen fish on hand, thaw them out first before using them in this recipe.
How Often Should You Eat Tuna Tataki?
You may have heard that tuna tataki goes well with rice on its own, but did you know that this dish also makes an excellent appetizer?
If so, we suggest making some extra because they are really good!
You don’t need much else in your life right now, do you?
The word “tataki” means “grilled” in Japanese, which is what many people think about when they hear the name.
The dish itself consists of thinly sliced sashimi (raw fish) grilled over high heat.
However, the true beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity.
There isn’t anything complicated about it, yet it still manages to taste fantastic.
When thinking about cooking, it’s important to consider the basic ingredients and their roles within the dish.
In this case, the role of the tuna is simple — just make sure you buy fresh, quality tuna from sustainable sources.
That said, other seafood like salmon, swordfish, halibut, shrimp, scallops, and even octopus can all work nicely here as well, depending on your preference.
In addition to being tasty, tuna tataki is low in calories and fat, making it very healthy.
Of course, since it contains no added sugar, salt, or preservatives, you won’t find them listed anywhere on the ingredient list.
There aren’t any artificial colors or flavors either, so this will surely become one of your go-to recipes whenever you want something quick, easy, and delicious.
Tuna Tataki Recipe
- Slice each side of the tuna into thin strips.
- Grill the slices until slightly charred on both sides.
- Season with soy sauce and add wasabi paste for flavor.
- Serve immediately.
This recipe serves 4 people, but feel free to double it up and serve more if you have guests coming over.
You could easily use a bigger pan and cook two batches at once, too.
Just remember to switch pans halfway through cooking time, otherwise the bottom pieces might burn before the top ones get done enough.
For best results, try using a cast iron skillet.
What Is The Best Way To Store Tuna Tataki?
Tuna tataki is an excellent dish that will impress your guests with its simplicity and versatility.
The key to making this fish work in your favor is keeping everything fresh.
If you want to make sure all of your ingredients are as fresh as possible, we recommend storing them properly before preparing the final product.
- Frozen seafood is fine, but frozen seafood tends to be more expensive than fresh seafood.
- So, if you decide to use frozen tuna instead of fresh, keep in mind that the cost savings might not be worth it.
- Make sure your knife has been sterilized first.
- You don’t want any bacteria from your hands contaminating your food.
- For optimal taste, try choosing high quality tuna such as bluefin tuna, which is also known as “ocean white meat.”
- To avoid wasting anything, remember to cut your tuna into smaller pieces so they won’t go bad too quickly.
How Long Does Tuna Tataki Last?
Tuna tataki is another popular type of fish in Japanese cuisine.
It’s also known by many names, including sashimi, tuna steak, and albacore.
It’s an excellent source of healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
But because this dish features raw tuna, it’s important not to overdo it with salt.
As mentioned above, it should only contain around 1/3 teaspoon of sea salt per pound of tuna (about 2 tablespoons).
The good news is that there isn’t much else to worry about here! You don’t need to cook this dish, so it will last just as long as your favorite cut of meat would.
The main thing to keep in mind is that it’ll lose its freshness after several days, so make sure to eat it up before then.
You may want to try adding a little bit of rice vinegar into the marinade mixture once you have everything prepared.
That might help preserve the flavor better.
And remember, you can always add more wasabi paste to give it more kick!
What Are Some Other Recipes That Use Tuna Tataki?
Tuna Tataki is an amazing dish because it combines two different kinds of seafood in such a way that they complement each other perfectly.
The combination of tuna and salmon makes this fish dish so tasty! If you have never tried it before, I highly recommend giving it a try soon.
The main ingredient in this recipe is salmon, but there are plenty of ingredients that go well with it as well.
You will find out about those below.
Tuna Tataki Recipe Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tuna (or canned)
- 5 ounces fresh salmon fillet
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Tuna Tataki Recipe Instructions
This recipe is very simple, so making it shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes from start to finish.
Start by removing any bones from your tuna using tweezers or paring knife.
Next, cut the tuna into 1 inch cubes.
Once all of your tuna has been cubed, place it on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels.
Then, chop up your salmon into small pieces and set aside.
To make the marinade, mix together everything except the salt and pepper in a bowl.
Season with salt and pepper after mixing.
Add the marinade mixture to your tuna and stir until all parts of your tuna are coated.
Let the tuna sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Afterward, remove the tuna from the marinade and let it cool down completely.
Now that it’s cooled off, add the salmon back to the marinade and toss until all parts of the salmon are covered.
Add the salmon to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place the baking sheet in the fridge while you prep the grill.
When it’s time to cook, preheat your grill to medium heat.
Once the grill is ready, put your salmon on top of the grill grates, close the cover, and cook for 4 minutes per side.
Remove the salmon from the grill and serve immediately.
What Are Some Other Ways To Prepare Tuna Tataki?
Here are some examples of what else you could do with your tuna tataki:
- Add diced avocado on top of your tuna tataki before serving.
- Top the fish with sesame seeds or wasabi paste (a Japanese horseradish).
- Use as an ingredient in another dish like a tartar sauce, grilled cheese sandwich, or stir fry.
- Make it into a salad by adding chopped parsley and shredded carrots or cucumber.
- Serve it over rice instead of bread rolls.
- Skewer it and grill it!
Tuna Tataki Salad Recipe
This is my absolute favorite way to eat this wonderful piece of meat.
I love all kinds of salads but this is definitely one of the most popular ones I make.
If you want to add something extra special to your salad try using a little bit of homemade mayo mixed with lemon juice and minced garlic to give it just enough zing.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh tuna steak
- 4 cups arugula leaves
- ½ cup red onion slices
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional garnish: Lemon wedges
Directions:
- Cut the tuna into ½ inch thick strips.
- Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan until hot.
- Add the tuna and sear each side for about 3 minutes.
- Place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with half of the remaining olive oil.
- Arrange the tuna on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- The arugula will wilt slightly from the heat of the tuna.
- Drizzle with lime juice, add the red onions and almonds, and serve immediately.
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- ½ lb tuna sashimi-grade yellowfin/ahi
- 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.
Tataki Sauce:
- 1 green onion 1 Tbsp chopped green onion
- 1 knob ginger 1″, 2.5 cm; 1 tsp grated
- 3 Tbsp ponzu for my homemade recipe, click here
- 2 tsp sesame oil roasted
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds toasted
Garnish:
- ½ lemon
- Korean chili thread
Instructions
- Collect all of the ingredients.
- Grate ginger and thinly slice green onion.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the tataki sauce ingredients.
- In a nonstick frying pan, heat the oil. Sear the tuna for 30 seconds on each side in hot oil.
- Remove from the heat once all sides are seared and set aside to cool. Cut the tuna into 14-inch (6-mm) pieces. Serve with the sauce.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.