Noshing With the Nolands

Ahi Tuna Salad

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Ahi Tuna Salad is so easy to pull together and has amazing flavors, from the fresh salad to the slightly seared tuna. The Asian dressing is sublime with sesame oil, umami paste, ginger, garlic, and more. In Hawaii, the word “ahi” refers to two species of tuna, the yellowfin tuna and the bigeye.

Before I dive into the Ahi Tuna salad recipe, you may also love these great tuna recipes too, Classic Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad and Sheet Pan Tuna Steak Dinner.

Overhead view of bowls of Ahi Tuna Salad

Helpful Items For This Recipe

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Powdered Wasabi

Black Sesame Seeds

Grapeseed Oil

Today we are joining together to help raise awareness for Heart Disease. Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic lost her Mom to heart disease when her mother was 47 and Kim was 15. Each year, on the day her Mom passed, she shares stories and photos of her Mom.

This year she joined forces with Jen of Juanita’s Cocina, whose life was also touched by heart disease when her Stepfather had a heart attack. Jen’s Stepfather is alive and well more than a decade later, and for that, Jen is thankful every day.

I lost my dad to heart disease many years ago, so this is also personal for me. Dad loved good food, and I cooked for him often, even from a young age. He would have loved this one, as he had a great appreciation for Japan. This is for you, Dad; I miss you!!!

Heart Healthy

Sesame crusted tuna sliced on a black board

Sesame and Grape Seed oils are very heart-healthy. We love to eat a lot of different foods in this house. We do have well-rounded meals with lots of fruits and fresh vegetables always included.

The little crunchy noodles are not the healthiest, but you only have to have a small amount of them to have a big impact. Everything is in moderation. One small Ahi tuna steak feeds three people, so it doesn’t have to be really expensive either. All of these wonderful ingredients make up this heart-healthy meal that you can have done in no time. 30 minutes and it’s ready, and the dressing is delicious!!

What Goes Into Ahi Tuna Salad

Let’s see what goes into the Ahi Tuna Salad recipe. There are 2 parts: Dressing and Salad.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Asian Salad Dressing

DRESSING

Sweet onion

Grapeseed oil

High-quality olive oil plus 1 tbsp. for cooking

Ginger powder

Sesame oil

Garlic

Rice vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Lemon juice

Umami paste

Low sodium soy sauce

Powdered wasabi

Ingredients for Ahi Tuna Salad

SALAD

Romaine lettuce

Red pepper

Mushrooms

English cucumber

Bean sprouts

Red onion, thinly sliced

Snap peas, cut in half

Ahi tuna steak

Black sesame seeds

Sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Chow Mein noodles

How to Make Ahi Tuna Salad

  1. In a blender, add all the salad dressing ingredients and whirl until smooth. Set it aside.
  1. Assemble salad using the romaine, red bell pepper, mushrooms, bean sprouts, cucumbers, red onion, and snap peas. Divide everything equally into four salad bowls.
  1. Slice the tuna steak into 1 1/2″ wide slices. Mix sesame seeds together with salt and pepper. Roll the tuna steak in the sesame seeds.
  3. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan and sear ahi tuna for 1 minute per side or until desired cooking is achieved. Tuna should be on the rare side.
  5. Slice into small pieces and add the tuna steak to the salad.
Overhead view of Ahi Tuna Salads and crunchy chow mein noodles
  1. Drizzle with the sesame ginger dressing and garnish with chow mein noodles.

Can I Eat Ahi Tuna Raw?

Closeup of Ahi Tuna Salad on fork

Ahi tuna can be consumed raw but on a moderate level. Eating ahi tuna raw can be risky as it contains parasites that cause diseases. But these parasites pose zero risks once ahi tuna is cooked or frozen. So it’s better to avoid it in raw form until you understand all the risks.

That being said, high-quality tuna, namely sushi or sashimi, is popular for eating raw. Purchase sushi-grade tuna, and you won’t have any issue eating tuna raw or medium-rare. Yes, you can cook it to medium-rare; it is quite common for homemade tuna.

Can You Cook Ahi Tuna All The Way Through?

Forkful of Ahi Tuna Salad

You may, but it may lead to a difference in taste. The flavor and texture may get lost. Overcooking is not recommended. Instead, cook quickly over high heat. Leave fully cooked tuna for other uses like Open-Faced Tuna Sandwiches or Best Tuna Melt Casserole.

Enjoy all these wonderful dishes and rest assured they are on the healthier side.

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This post has been reworked for you; this was our old photo.

Ahi Tuna Salad on a black plate with chop sticks
Overhead view of Ahi Tuna Salad

Pin it HERE!!

Ahi Tuna Salad Pin

Pin it HERE!!

Ahi Tuna Salad Pin
Yield: 4 Servings

Ahi Tuna Salad

Ahi Tuna Salad

Ahi Tuna Salad is a heart-healthy meal that any tuna lover would go crazy for. Light enough for a side dish for sushi or add more in and enjoy it as a meal on to its own.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1/4 cup good quality olive oil plus 1 Tbsp. for cooking
  • 1 tsp. powdered ginger
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. Umami paste
  • 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. powdered wasabi

Salad

  • 1 large head of romaine lettuce, washed and torn
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 6 large mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 English cucumber, cut into large matchsticks
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced
  • 12 snap peas, cut in half
  • 1 large ahi tuna steak
  • black sesame seeds
  • sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chow Mein Noodles

Instructions

  1. In a blender, add all the dressing ingredients and whirl until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Assemble salad using the romaine, red pepper, mushrooms, bean sprouts, cucumbers, red onion, and snap peas into four bowls.
  3. Cut ahi tuna steak into 1 1/2" wide slices. Mix sesame seeds together with salt and pepper. Roll the tuna in sesame seeds.
  4. Heat olive oil in a cast-iron pan and cook tuna for 1 min. per side or until desired doneness. Tuna should be on the rare side.
  5. Slice into small pieces and arrange on salad.
  6. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with chow mein noodles.

Notes

See the post for more tips and tricks and information.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 378Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 372mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 16g

Recipe calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

© Tara Noland
Cuisine: Asian / Category: Salads

Comments

  3. Nancy @ gottagetbaked says

    That’s a wonderful dedication to your dad, Tara. I’m loving everyone’s heart healthy posts – this is for a really important cause. Heart disease runs in my family and it affects almost everyone I love (my sisters, my dad, and now even my 32-year-old husband!) so the issue is near and dear to me. I love ahi tuna – this salad looks so vibrant and refreshing. Healthy definitely doesn’t have to be boring!

    Reply

  4. Kim Bee says

    Tara thank you so much for joining us today. Also thanks for sharing about your dad. I am so sorry you lost him. It’s never easy to lose a parent, no matter at what stage of life we’re at.

    I love this dish so much. I just looks so fresh and inviting. And I have to say your suggestions for oils are bang on. I keep grapeseed oil around all the time. It can be hard to find here but I scour the stores when I run out. It adds such a nice flavour to dishes too.

    Reply

  5. Liz says

    I am so sorry you lost your dear father to heart disease, Tara. I love, love ahi tuna, and could eat your salad 7 days a week! Just amazing!!!

    Reply

  6. Jenni says

    Tara, I’m sorry that you lost your dad. I am fortunate to still have both of my parents, but I have to watch dad (especially) like a hawk. The man is not a Fan of healthy foods.

    But I bet he’d eat this salad! It looks so inviting and the ingredient list is full of interesting and flavorful ingredients. When healthy=tasty, life is good!

    Reply

  10. Mushrooms Canada says

    This salad looks absolutely delicious! A great way to raise awareness around such a meaningful cause. Thank you for sharing Tara!

    -Shannon

    Reply

  12. Anita at Hungry Couple says

    I’m sorry about your father, Tara. I saw the photo of this salad and thought it looked magnificent. I am, unfortunately, allergic to seafood and it’s a real shame because I would love to eat this kind of thing.

    Reply

  13. Kristi Rimkus says

    I’m sorry for your loss. My dad died of a heart attack as a result of Diabetes. Thank you for bringing awareness to this awful disease. My mom loves ahi tuna, this is a must pass along recipe. She’ll be a happy camper.

    Reply

  14. Isabelle @ Crumb says

    Thanks for sharing your story. I’m so sorry you lost your dad…we had a close call a couple of years ago with my own dad, and I am thankful for every day I have with him now. Mind you, he’s more of a steak and potatoes kind of guy, but I think even he could get on board with a salad this gorgeous… especially that wasabi dressing!

    Reply

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