Soy-Marinated Seared Tuna with Crunchy Cabbage Coleslaw

Today we’re keeping things light and fresh, a beautiful little tuna loin marinated in soy sauce served alongside a crunchy cabbage coleslaw. I love this kind of combination because it’s simple, it looks great, and it actually tastes like something you can sink your teeth in heheheh. The soy marinade gives the tuna this gorgeous salty depth while the coleslaw brings all that crispy, tangy contrast, and together they just work.

Now, fair warning, I have a serious tendency to make an enormous mountain of coleslaw, mostly because it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days and I basically want it on everything. For this recipe though, I kept it a bit more restrained, roughly double what you see in the photo. I also skipped any mayo or creamy sauces this time around to keep everything on the lighter side, so just olive oil, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Simple as it gets.

This is also just a fantastic summer meal. The cabbage is light, refreshing, and satisfyingly crunchy, and the tuna cooked this way is something else entirely, tender, sweet, and almost creamy in the middle. As written, this recipe is perfect for two people who aren’t absolutely ravenous, though I make no promises about leftovers hehehe. Lets check the recipe! ;D

Soy-Marinated Seared Tuna with Crunchy Cabbage Coleslaw

Servings: 2
Time: 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Gotta love this almost Algarve through Japan inspired simple dish, yummy tuna steak with a nice and refreshing salad, perfect for any light Summer meal.

Ingredients

Tuna – 1 Loin (+/- 200g)
Cabbage – 1/4
Onion – 1/2
Carrot – 1 Small
Cucumber Pickles – 2 (Sweet and Sour)
Soy Sauce – 1 Tablespoon
Olive Oil – A Drizzle
Olive Oil – 2 Teaspoons
Vinegar – 1 Teaspoon (Apple/Lemon Balm)
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

First, combine some soy sauce with the fresh tuna loin, cover well, and set aside to marinate.
Finely julienne the cabbage, onion, carrot, and pickled cucumbers, and combine everything in a bowl.

Season with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Mix, taste, and adjust the seasonings. Finally, refrigerate.
Heat a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Let it heat up, then add the tuna. You want to cook the outside while keeping the inside reasonably pink/purple. Turn it for about 2 minutes per side. Note that cooking times may vary depending on your stovetop and the thickness of the fish.

When golden brown, remove from the heat and serve with a portion of the cabbage salad. That simple! Enjoy!

Notes & Tips: The biggest tuna tip I can give you is when in doubt, cut into it. If it looks too raw for your taste, just return it to the pan for another minute or two. Sure sure it won’t look good if you return it to the pan (it will start to break appart), but 99% of the time it doesn’t matter, most of the time you are not cooking for a perfect beautiful portion for a valentines day dinner hehehe ;D So yeah overcooking tuna is a far worse crime than undercooking it, so check early and check often and if you need to break it… oh well 🙂

For the coleslaw, julienning everything as thin as possible makes a real difference in texture. A mandoline slicer speeds this up if you have one, just watch your fingers.

A minimally seasoned coleslaw keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days, so feel free to double the batch and use it as a side throughout the week. It actually gets a little better after sitting overnight as the flavors meld together and the coleslaw gets more tender.

If you want a touch more richness without going full mayo, a small spoonful of tahini whisked into the dressing works beautifully with the soy-marinated tuna.

Also make sure your pan is properly hot before adding the tuna. A lukewarm pan gives you steamed fish instead of that gorgeous golden sear, and nobody wants that.

My coleslaw recipe is pretty basic (you can search on bakeafter for it, i do have several hehehehe), but it’s mostly thinly diced vegetables that i have at hand, with minimal seasoning, as it stands in the fridge the coleslaw gets more tender and yummier, then i’ll eat it like that or add to other dishes or add mayo or other sauces, what i don’t do is add sauces to it beforehand, then you lose a bit of the versatility of the side dish…

This recipe for Soy-Marinated Seared Tuna with Crunchy Cabbage Coleslaw was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Atum com Salada de Couve Coleslaw foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.