Sesame Crusted Tuna with Ginger Sesame Glaze

This sesame crusted tuna recipe is a restaurant-quality dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. This recipe balances rich umami flavors, crispy textures, and fresh, vibrant ingredients, creating a standout meal for any occasion. The tender, sushi-grade tuna gets coated in a black and white sesame crust, seared to perfection, and drizzled with a bold ginger sesame glaze. Paired with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh herbs and greens, this dish looks as visually striking as it tastes delicious.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Quick & Easy: This dish comes together in under 45 minutes, perfect for weeknight meals or impressing dinner guests.
• Healthy & Protein-Packed: Tuna provides lean protein, and the dish is naturally gluten-free and nutrient-dense.
• Balanced Flavors: The nutty sesame crust perfectly complements the sweet-savory glaze, while roasted sweet potatoes add depth.
• Versatile & Customizable: Serve it as a light salad, grain bowl, or plated entrée with rice or noodles.

The Key to a Perfect Sesame Crust

The biggest challenge when making sesame-crusted tuna is getting the sesame seeds to stick evenly and stay intact during searing. Instead of just pressing the tuna into seeds, this recipe uses a binding mixture of soy sauce and egg white. The soy sauce enhances the umami flavor while the egg white acts as a natural adhesive, ensuring your sesame crust holds up during cooking.

For the best results:

1. Pat the tuna completely dry before coating to prevent moisture from interfering with adhesion.
2. Brush the soy sauce and egg white mixture evenly on all sides before pressing into sesame seeds.
3. Firmly press the sesame seeds into the tuna to create an even crust.
4. Use high heat and quick cooking to sear the crust while keeping the tuna rare inside.

The Ginger Sesame Glaze: A Perfect Finishing Touch

This bold, umami-packed glaze ties the entire dish together. It balances savory, sweet, and tangy flavors, combining soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, and garlic.

To maximize flavor impact:

• Simmer the glaze gently to allow the ginger and garlic to fully infuse into the liquid.
• Don’t over-thicken it—aim for a pourable consistency with a slight glossy sheen.
• Drizzle it right before serving to maintain the crispy sesame crust’s texture.

Bringing It All Together

The tuna rests on a bed of fresh arugula and herbs, adding a peppery freshness that balances the dish’s richness. Crispy shallots introduce a delightful crunch, while roasted sweet potatoes contribute natural sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the bold flavors.

This dish excels beyond taste alone—it’s a harmony of texture, balance, and visual appeal. The contrast between black and white sesame seeds, the deep orange sweet potatoes, and the vibrant greens creates a restaurant-quality presentation that you can easily achieve in your own kitchen.

This Sesame Crusted Tuna with Ginger Sesame Glaze transforms market-fresh tuna into a restaurant-quality meal with minimal effort. The contrast between the seared, sesame-coated exterior and the rare, melt-in-your-mouth center creates a textural masterpiece, while the umami-rich ginger-sesame glaze adds the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy notes. Ready in under 15 minutes yet impressive enough for special occasions, this dish proves that elevated cooking doesn’t require hours in the kitchen. Master this technique once, and you’ll find yourself reaching for it whenever you want to elevate a weeknight dinner or impress dinner guests.

Sesame Crusted Tuna with Ginger Sesame Glaze

Recipe by Kyle Taylor

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: MainsCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

This sesame crusted tuna is seared to perfection with a crispy, flavorful crust and finished with a rich ginger sesame glaze. Paired with roasted sweet potatoes and fresh greens, this quick, restaurant-quality dish is packed with bold umami flavors and easy to make at home.

Ingredients

• For the Tuna

• 2 ahi tuna steaks

• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds

• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 egg white

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

• For the Ginger Sesame Glaze

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon soy sacue

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated

• 1 clove of garlic, mined

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• For Serving

• 2 cups arugula

• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

• fried shallots

• toasted sesame seeds

Directions

• Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
  Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss cubed sweet potatoes with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes until golden brown and slightly crisp.
• Make the Ginger Sesame Glaze:
  Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.
  
• Prepare & Sear the Tuna:
  Pat the tuna steaks dry and season with salt and ground black pepper. Press both sides into the black & white sesame seed mix, ensuring an even crust. Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tuna for 45-60 seconds per side (for rare), or 1.5-2 minutes per side (for medium-rare). Remove from heat and let rest for 2 minutes, then slice into thick pieces.
• Sear the Tuna:
  Pat the tuna steaks dry and season lightly with salt and ground pepper. Whisk together soy sauce and egg white. Brush both sides with the mixture, and press the into the black and white sesame seeds, coating all sides evenly. Heat avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tuna for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice into thick pieces.
• Assemble and Serve:
  Arrange the arugula on a plate. Drizzle the ginger sesame glaze over the tuna. Top with roasted sweet potatoes, sesame-crusted tuna slices, cilantro, and mint. Garnish with crispy shallots and toasted sesame seeds.

SUGGESTED RECIPE: Sesame-Crusted Black Cod with Soy-Braised Cabbage and Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

If you love the bold flavors and textures of this sesame-crusted tuna, take it a step further with Sesame-Crusted Black Cod with Soy-Braised Cabbage and Spicy Black-Eyed Peas. The buttery, flaky black cod takes on an incredible sesame crust, while the deeply savory soy-braised cabbage adds richness and umami. The spicy black-eyed peas bring unexpected heat and earthiness, creating a dish that’s both refined and comforting. It’s a perfect way to experiment with flavors while keeping the balance of crispy, tender, spicy, and savory elements.