Sake-marinated tuna with sesame dressing
A beautifully grilled tuna steak doesn’t need much — just a good marinade, high heat, and fresh flavors alongside it. In this recipe, sake and wakame give the tuna a subtle umami richness, while a crisp fennel salad and creamy sesame dressing keep everything light and vibrant. Perfect for long summer evenings around the BBQ. 25 min active cooking time + 6-8 hr marinating
Place the wakame in a bowl with hot water and let it soak for 10 minutes. Drain and allow it to cool. Finely chop the wakame and mix with the olive oil, sake, and lemon zest. Season with salt. Coat the tuna steaks with the marinade and refrigerate for 6–8 hours.
Meanwhile, make the sesame dressing. Grind the sesame seeds in a mortar until slightly crushed. Mix with the mayonnaise, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger syrup, and lime zest. Set aside.
For the salad, combine the carrots, fennel, radicchio, sesame seeds, and cilantro.
Remove the fish from the marinade and reserve the marinade for glazing later.
Place the tuna steaks on a hot BBQ and grill for 2–3 minutes on one side until nicely charred. Flip and grill the other side for another minute. Remove from the grill and let rest under aluminum foil for 3–4 minutes. The fish should be warm inside but still slightly rare.
Brush the tuna generously with the reserved marinade.
Serve the tuna steaks with the salad, sesame dressing, and lime wedges.
