This light and refreshing Seared Tuna Salad with Miso Dressing is perfect for lunch or dinner. It's a fantastic, 20-minute salad that has "healthy" written all over it. And, it's beyond easy to prepare!
If I'm making seared tuna for another meal, like my Wasabi Seared Tuna recipe, I repurpose the tuna for this dish. Why waste a beautiful fish? Add a nice glass of white wine and now you're talkin' tuna!
It's important to buy very fresh or fresh-frozen ahi tuna for this recipe. I like to sprinkle some salt and pepper on each side of the ahi tuna steaks before dredging in the sesame seeds.
Make sure to thoroughly coat all sides of the tuna steaks before searing. I like to use a ashallow dish, or something around that size. No need to add extra salt and pepper!
I use either a heavy skillet or my cast iron pan to sear the tuna steaks. They sear up very quickly (about 2-3 minutes on each side), and you want it to be very pink inside. Of course, that's my personal preference, but if you're skittish about eating rare fish, just cook it longer.
Look at those beautiful rare slices of seared, sesame-coated ahi tuna! This fish literally melts in your mouth!
How do you make miso dressing?
This salad dressing is so easy to make -- just 6 ingredients. Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor, or whisk it together by hand. It's just that easy!
Just 6 ingredients in this easy miso dressing!
- Miso paste -- I used white miso paste, but you can use yellow as well.
- Sesame oil -- For it's nutty aroma and taste.
- Rice vinegar -- For it's mild, slightly sweet flavor.
- Canola oil -- Blends very well with the rice vinegar.
- Garlic -- Because everything needs garlic!
- Organic maple syrup -- Adds that extra touch of sweetness to this dressingl
Pulse all of the ingredients in a mini food processor, or whisk it together by hand. It's just that easy! You’ll definitely want to use this dressing on other salads, or as a yummy marinade for proteins!
[*See recipe card for exact quantities.]
Recipe notes
- Buying very fresh or sushi-grade ahi tuna is most important here. I often get my tuna steaks fresh-frozen to be safe!
- If you're skittish about rare tuna, you can always sear the tuna for a bit longer so it's no longer pink inside.
- I used white miso paste, but feel free to use yellow or red miso paste as well.
- A mini food processor works great for making this dressing creamy, but you can also whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- I like to use organic maple syrup in this dressing. You can always substitute the maple syrup with honey.
- Leftover tuna will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Other easy tuna recipes
If you liked this Seared Tuna Salad recipe, you're going to want these yummy tuna recipes too!
- Ahi Tuna Napoleon
- Gluten-Free Sesame Crusted Tuna with Asian Noodles
- Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice - Nobu Copycat
- Wasabi Seared Tuna
- Sesame Seared Tuna with Cheesy Cauliflower Mash
Update Notes: This post was originally published on January 27, 2016, but was republished with slight text changes and additions, like step-by-step instructions and tips in May 2022.
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Seared Tuna Salad with Miso Dressing
This light and refreshing Seared Tuna Salad with Miso Dressing is perfect for lunch or dinner. It's a fantastic, 20-minute salad that has "healthy" written all over it. And, it's beyond easy to prepare!
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the tuna:
- 1 fresh ahi tuna steak (or yellow fin)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- Salt & pepper
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
For the salad:
- 1 (7-ounce) package mixed greens
- 1 cup undressed broccoli slaw from package
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ¼ sliced red onion
- 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
For garnish:
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- Toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the tuna:
- Pat the tuna dry and brush with 1 tablespoon of canola oil on all sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of tuna.
- Heat a heavy skillet or cast iron pan to medium-high and sear the tuna on one side for 3 minutes. Flip over and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. (Tuna should be nicely seared on the outside and rare pink on the inside.)
- After cooling, slice the tuna on the diagonal and set aside.
Make the dressing:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, miso paste, sesame oil, canola oil, maple syrup, water, and garlic. Set aside.
Make the salad:
- Mix together the field greens, broccoli slaw, carrots, and red onion. Lightly toss the salad with the miso dressing. Top the salad with sliced avocado and tuna. Place a mound of cilantro on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Buying very fresh or sushi-grade ahi tuna is most important here. I often get my tuna steaks fresh-frozen to be safe!
- If you're skittish about rare tuna, you can always sear the tuna for a bit longer so it's no longer pink inside.
- I used white miso paste, but feel free to use yellow or red miso paste as well.
- A mini food processor works great for making this dressing creamy, but you can also whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- I like to use organic maple syrup in this dressing. You can always substitute the maple syrup with honey.
- Leftover tuna will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two days.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 5 min
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 240.3 mg
- Fat: 16.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8 g
- Protein: 23.4 g
- Cholesterol: 33.2 mg
Jan says
I love this recipe, the dressing is really really good!
Asian Caucasian says
Thanks, Jan! It's a blog favorite and I make it quite often. So healthy and delicious!
Carrie says
Simple and delicious! Loved the flavors and textures.
Asian Caucasian says
So glad you enjoyed this seared tuna salad, Carrie! This also tastes delicious with other proteins like grilled chicken and tofu. Enjoy!