Sous Vide Tuna with Wasabi Cream Sauce

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Enjoy restaurant quality tuna steaks at home with this Sous Vide Tuna recipe! The tuna is perfectly seared on the outside and rare in the middle, just the way ahi tuna is meant to be served! 

Serve these steaks with a simple homemade wasabi cream sauce and some Instant Pot sushi rice for the most amazing meal!

You guys, this is fine dining at its best, and you get to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home!

I’ve said it many times, but the sous vide is one of my favorite ways to cook seafood. It just takes the guesswork out of cooking it, so you get the results you want every time.

The sous vide creates tender and moist results for this sous vide sea bass, sous vide halibut, sous vide cod and sous vide salmon! 

And, with tuna, it allows you to get deliciously rare results with the most perfect sear at the end (also try this maguro if you like sashimi!!

Read: 12+ Sous Vide Fish Recipes

Jump to:

• More sous vide seafood recipes
• Why this recipe works
• What is ahi tuna?
• Ingredients
• Step by step instructions
• How to make wasabi cream sauce
• Expert tips
• Common questions
• Make it a meal
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

More sous vide seafood recipes

• Sous Vide Shrimp
• Sous Vide Scallops 
• Sous Vide Octopus
• Sous Vide Lobster Tail

Why this recipe works

1. The recipe calls for ahi tuna which is readily available at most grocery stores or fish markets.
2. When tuna is overcooked, it gets dry and crumbly (similar to canned tuna). You want it to be rare in the middle, and the sous vide is the perfect way to achieve this result.
3. Reverse searing the tuna steaks in a hot skillet before serving creates a perfect outer crust!

What is ahi tuna?

The term ‘ahi’ includes two types of tuna - yellowfin and bigeye. Yellowfin tuna tends to be more affordable than bigeye, and it’s also not as expensive as bluefin tuna.

Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 1 pound of ahi tuna steak. This is about 2 steaks. You can use fresh or frozen. If using frozen, just make sure to thaw them first.

The tuna is seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking in the sous vide, and then seared with avocado oil. (If you don’t have avocado oil, use another high smoke point oil).

For the wasabi cream sauce, you’ll need wasabi paste, coconut cream, fish sauce and lime juice.

Wasabi paste is an incredibly pungent and spicy green paste that’s often served with sushi. Just 1 tablespoon goes a long way here!

The creamy texture of the cream sauce comes from ½ cup of coconut cream. If you don’t have coconut cream, you can try using solidified milk solids from coconut milk (but you'll likely need to whip it first). You can also use Greek yogurt in a pinch, although it will add a different taste to the cream sauce.

Fish sauce is a sauce made from anchovies fermented in salt. It adds a salty, savory flavor to contrast the spicy wasabi. 

To balance out the spicy and savory flavors, fresh lime juice is added for a sour note. You’ll want to use freshly squeezed lime juice and not bottled juice which usually contains additives.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 100F degrees.

Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper.

Place in a vacuum seal bag and seal.

Cook for 45 minutes in the water bath.

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.

Add the avocado oil and sear the tuna steaks for about 30-45 seconds per side, until a crust forms (be careful not to overcook).

Remove, slice and serve with wasabi cream sauce.

How to make wasabi cream sauce

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Store in the fridge until ready to use. 

Expert tips

1. To ensure the tuna steaks cook at the same rate, make sure they’re the same size in thickness.
2. If your steaks are really thick, they may take a little longer to cook in the water bath.
3. Arrange the two steaks side by side in the sealable bag. This will help them cook evenly on all sides. 
4. When sealing the bag, make sure the air is removed to avoid bacteria getting in the bag.
5. The sealed bag should also be completely submerged in the water bath. You can always use a sous vide sinker weight to prevent it from floating.
6. If the bag starts to float, just open it, remove the air and reseal it. 
7. To get a good sear, pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel when they come out of the water bath.
8. Use a cast iron skillet and a high smoke point oil to get the best crust.
9. Be sure to only sear the tuna for 30-45 seconds per side. Any longer than this and you risk over cooking the tuna steaks.
10. If you want your wasabi cream sauce a little thinner, just stir in a little water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Common questions

Make it a meal

These delicious tuna steaks go with so many different side dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Duck Fat Crispy Smashed Potatoes
• Sous Vide Green Beans
• Duck Fat Parmesan Truffle Fries
• Instant Pot Basmati Rice
• Coconut Jasmine Rice

Yo ucan also chop this tuna up and use it to make this spicy tuna salad.

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