Sous Vide Tuna with Wasabi Cream Sauce

Name: Sous Vide Tuna with Wasabi Cream Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ahi tuna steak (about 2 steaks); 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 tablespoon avocado oil; 1 tablespoon wasabi paste; 1/2 cup coconut cream; 1 teaspoon fish sauce; 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

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Enjoy restaurant quality tuna steaks at home with this Sous Vide Tuna recipe! The tuna is perfectly seared on the outside and rare in the middle, just the way ahi tuna is meant to be served!

Serve these steaks with a simple homemade wasabi cream sauce and some Instant Pot sushi rice for the most amazing meal!

Close up view of sliced tuna on a wooden board with wasabi cream sauce.

You guys, this is fine dining at its best, and you get to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home!

I’ve said it many times, but the sous vide is one of my favorite ways to cook seafood. It just takes the guesswork out of cooking it, so you get the results you want every time.

The sous vide creates tender and moist results for this sous vide sea bass, sous vide halibut, sous vide cod and sous vide salmon!

And, with tuna, it allows you to get deliciously rare results with the most perfect sear at the end!

Check out the sous vide tuna web story!

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator. This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use binder clips) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Tools Used

You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!

More sous vide seafood recipes

Close up view of a slice of tuna showing the rare, pink middle and outer crust.

Why this recipe works

The recipe calls for ahi tuna which is readily available at most grocery stores or fish markets.
When tuna is overcooked, it gets dry and crumbly (similar to canned tuna). You want it to be rare in the middle, and the sous vide is the perfect way to achieve this result.
Reverse searing the tuna steaks in a hot skillet before serving creates a perfect outer crust!

What is ahi tuna?

The term ‘ahi’ includes two types of tuna - yellowfin and bigeye. Yellowfin tuna tends to be more affordable than bigeye, and it’s also not as expensive as bluefin tuna.

Ingredients

Please refer to the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

You’ll need 1 pound of ahi tuna steak. This is about 2 steaks. You can use fresh or frozen. If using frozen, just make sure to thaw them first.

The tuna is seasoned with salt and pepper before cooking in the sous vide, and then seared with avocado oil. (If you don’t have avocado oil, use another high smoke point oil).

For the wasabi cream sauce, you’ll need wasabi paste, coconut cream, fish sauce and lime juice.

Wasabi paste is an incredibly pungent and spicy green paste that’s often served with sushi. Just 1 tablespoon goes a long way here!

The creamy texture of the cream sauce comes from ½ cup of coconut cream. If you don’t have coconut cream, you can try using solidified milk solids from coconut milk (but you'll likely need to whip it first). You can also use Greek yogurt in a pinch, although it will add a different taste to the cream sauce.

Fish sauce is a sauce made from anchovies fermented in salt. It adds a salty, savory flavor to contrast the spicy wasabi.

To balance out the spicy and savory flavors, fresh lime juice is added for a sour note. You’ll want to use freshly squeezed lime juice and not bottled juice which usually contains additives.

Step by step instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 100F degrees.

Season the tuna on both sides with salt and pepper.

Place in a vacuum seal bag and seal.

Cook for 45 minutes in the water bath.

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.

Add the avocado oil and sear the tuna steaks for about 30-45 seconds per side, until a crust forms (be careful not to overcook).

Two tuna steaks being seared in a cast iron skillet.

Remove, slice and serve with wasabi cream sauce.

How to make wasabi cream sauce

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Wasabi cream sauce in a glass bowl with a spatula inserted into it.

Expert tips

To ensure the tuna steaks cook at the same rate, make sure they’re the same size in thickness.
If your steaks are really thick, they may take a little longer to cook in the water bath.
Arrange the two steaks side by side in the sealable bag. This will help them cook evenly on all sides.
When sealing the bag, make sure the air is removed to avoid bacteria getting in the bag.
The sealed bag should also be completely submerged in the water bath. You can always use a sous vide sinker weight to prevent it from floating.
If the bag starts to float, just open it, remove the air and reseal it.
To get a good sear, pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel when they come out of the water bath.
Use a cast iron skillet and a high smoke point oil to get the best crust.
Be sure to only sear the tuna for 30-45 seconds per side. Any longer than this and you risk over cooking the tuna steaks.
If you want your wasabi cream sauce a little thinner, just stir in a little water until it reaches your desired consistency.

Overhead view of sous vide tuna cut into slices and served on a board with dollops of wasabi cream sauce.

Common questions

How long do you sous vide tuna?

It only takes 45 minutes for tuna steaks to cook in a sous vide water bath. If your steaks are extra thick, you may need to add a little more time.

What is the best temperature to sous vide ahi tuna?

For tuna steaks that are rare, you’ll want to set the temperature of your sous vide water bath to 100F degrees. If you prefer firmer fish, you can increase the temperature to 120F degrees. I don’t recommend going higher than this as the tuna will be too firm and dry (similar to canned tuna).

Can you sous vide frozen tuna?

You can use frozen tuna steaks for this recipe, but I recommend defrosting them first before cooking them in sous vide water bath.

Do you need to reverse sear the tuna steaks before serving?

If serving warm, I recommend reverse searing tuna to get that delicious crust on the outside. If you prefer to serve the tuna cold and more like sashimi, then you can skip the searing and just chill and slice.

How do you serve sous vide tuna?

Instead of the wasabi cream sauce, pair these tuna steaks with red chimichurri, Argentinian chimichurri or tomatillo salsa. You can also add it to a poke bowl!

Close up view of slices of sous vide tuna.

Make it a meal

These delicious tuna steaks go with so many different side dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it turned out!