This seared ahi tuna salad features perfectly seared ahi tuna dressed up in bowls with lots of fresh greens, crunchy wonton strips, and a savory ginger soy dressing.
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I’ll be living in that bowl up there for the foreseeable future, guys. This salad, I just can’t.
If you’re looking for a different way to do up tuna steaks on the dinner menu, this salad has got you SO covered! Metaphorically and literally because we’re jamming just about everything under the sun in these bowls.
Where do I even start, cause we’ve got so many incredible components coming into play here today! The marinated tuna steaks, the homemade Asian-style dressing, and those crunchy little wonton strips being my favorite.
Along with about a million other things all coming together to form your new favorite salad.
This Tuna Salad Features…
- Soy marinated seared ahi tuna steaks
- A base of spring greens with lots of carrots, avocado, and cucumber
- A flavorful soy ginger dressing
Making the Tuna Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Orange juice
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Sesame oil
- Vegetable oil
- Ahi tuna
- Spring greens
- Avocado
- Carrot
- Cucumber
- Green onion
- Wonton strips
- Cilantro
- Sesame seeds
Choosing Your Tuna
I recommend purchasing ahi tuna (also called yellowfin) for this recipe. Both fresh and frozen (and thawed) tuna work great here.
You will need 2-3 tuna steaks for this recipe to equal about 12 oz total.
Tips for Perfect Ahi Tuna Salad
- Prep dressing and salad ingredients first – have all the components ready to go before cooking the tuna so you can assemble the bowls immediately after searing tuna.
- Blend dressing – you can use a blender or a food processor for the dressing.
- Marinate tuna – a quick 20 minute marinade is all the tuna steaks need to soak up lots of flavor. Make sure to flip steaks halfway through marinating to evenly coat.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger – these ingredients add lots of flavor to both the marinade and the dressing.
- Don’t overcook tuna – properly cooked tuna steaks are medium-rare, so you will only need to cook tuna 2-3 minutes on each side. Overcooking tuna will make it very dry, so don’t be tempted to cook it any longer than my recommended cook time.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.
- Use another protein – replace the tuna with chicken or steak.
- Add another crunchy element – try crushed ramen or toasted almonds in place of the wonton strips.
- Try a bottled dressing – 1/2 cup bottled Asian dressing will work great in place of the homemade recipe.
- Add more veggies – try adding snow peas, sweet pepper, or shredded cabbage.
Meal Prep Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Make the dressing – store the dressing in refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Make the tuna marinade – store the marinade in refrigerator up to 1 week.
- Prep salad components – prep the cucumber, cucumber, and green onion and store in refrigerator. Wait to slice the avocado until just before serving.
- Assembly – when ready to serve salad, marinate/sear the tuna, assemble the salad in bowls, and top with dressing.
This is definitely a dinner-style salad but it’s one of those salads you won’t be left feeling hungry afterwards! The seared tuna works so well alongside the leafy greens and all that wonderful texture from the fresh veggies.
Please, your salad life NEEDS this!
Save this recipe for later using the ‘save to recipe box’ button. If you make it, please let me know by leaving a comment + star rating below the recipe card. This only takes moments and helps support my website so much!
More tuna recipes to make next!
Seared Ahi Tuna Salad with Asian Dressing
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Asian Dressing
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 medium clove garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- Ground black pepper to taste
Seared Ahi Tuna
- 12 oz ahi tuna steaks
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salad
- 4 cups spring greens mix
- 1 medium avocado, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup julienned carrot
- 1/2 cup julienned cucumber
- 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onion
- 1/2 cup wonton strips
- Fresh cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Asian Dressing
- Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, orange juice, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a blender or food processor. With machine running, slowly drizzle vegetable oil through top, blending and scraping down sides as necessary until dressing is smooth. Season with pepper to taste and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
Seared Ahi Tuna
- Lightly season tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic in a shallow bowl and arrange tuna steaks in sauce. Allow to marinate 20 minutes, flipping halfway through to evenly coat other side of steaks.
- Remove tuna steaks from marinade and discard marinade. Pat steaks dry with paper towels.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot, add oil and swirl to evenly coat. Add tuna steaks in a single layer and sear 2-3 minutes on each side until golden-brown (tuna will still be raw in the middle).
Salad
- Transfer tuna steaks to a cutting board and thinly slice into strips
- Divide greens between 4 serving bowls and arrange seared tuna, avocado, carrot, cucumber, green onions, and wonton strips between bowls. Top bowls with cilantro, sesame seeds, and a few drizzles of Asian dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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