Sesame Seared Tuna with Soy Lime Noodles
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Sesame-crusted tuna steaks are seared hard and fast so the crust turns golden while the centre stays warm and pink, then served over noodles tossed with a sharp soy and lime dressing. Charred asparagus and the toasted stray sesame seeds go straight into the noodles, so nothing from the pan is wasted.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Season and crust the tuna. Pat the tuna steaks dry with paper towels and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Tip the sesame seeds onto a wide plate and press both sides of each steak into the seeds to coat evenly.
- 2
Sear the tuna. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke. Sear the tuna about 1 minute per side for a warm, pink centre (30 seconds a side for rare, 1½-2 minutes a side if you want it cooked through). Lift the tuna onto a plate.
- 3
Char the asparagus. Add the asparagus to the same hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Just before it's done, scatter in any loose sesame seeds left on the tuna plate and cook over medium heat until golden, about 30 seconds more.
- 4
Dress the noodles. In a large bowl, stir together the soy sauce, water and lime juice. Add the cooked egg noodles, scallions, cilantro, charred asparagus and toasted sesame seeds, and toss everything together.
- 5
Plate and serve. Divide the noodles between two plates. Slice each tuna steak in half on the diagonal and perch the pieces on top of the noodles. Serve straight away while the tuna is still warm.
Storage
Best eaten right away while the tuna is warm and the noodles are freshly dressed. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C), and eat within 1-2 days.
Why this label?
71.7 g protein for 1189 kcal = 6 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 24% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low saturated fat: 1.1 g saturated fat per 100 g, 4.2% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Low sugars: 1.6 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 508 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0.3 g per serving
0.6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 1.2 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- paper towels
- wide plate (for coating)
- large nonstick skillet
- tongs
- large mixing bowl
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- large pot
- colander
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1189 kcal |
| Protein | 71.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 160.2 g |
| of which sugars | 7.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 30.4 g |
| of which saturates | 5.5 g |
| Fibre | 14.6 g |
| Salt | 5.87 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
