It is finally starting to feel like spring in the DC area and I have been craving bright, fresh flavors and light dinners that are still filling and this ahi tuna with fresh mango salsa definitely fits the bill!
A few weeks ago Luke and I were at the seafood counter at Wegmans (literally my favorite grocery store ever, I’m not kidding when I say I’m like a kid in a candy store there) trying to decide what to make for dinner. We saw that yellowfin tuna was on sale and I immediately had visions of perfectly seared ahi tuna with fresh mango salsa so we got our tuna and headed home (after buying 94 other things we didn’t need but couldn’t resist, because Wegmans) to make an amazing dinner.
The marinade for this ahi tuna with fresh mango salsa is simple and all ingredients I always have on hand. It’s a great blend of flavors, tangy from soy sauce and lime, sweet with honey, and a little heat from ginger and cayenne, plus a little garlic for added zing. It’s the perfect complement to the buttery richness of the tuna.
My fresh mango salsa is also so easy to make, just toss your mango, red bell pepper (because you obviously want the most color!), onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime together in bowl. You then just have to stop yourself from eating it all with corn chips before the tuna is ready, not that I would know anything about that…
I served our ahi tuna with fresh mango salsa with the tricolor quinoa from Trader Joe’s, but it would be equally as delicious with rice or a salad. Heck, you could even eat the ahi tuna with fresh mango salsa plain and be just as happy!
Ahi Tuna with Fresh Mango Salsa
Seared ahi tuna in a zesty and bright marinade with fresh, sweet and spicy mango salsa
Ingredients
For the Tuna:
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 lime - zest and juice
- 2 cloves garlic – pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger – grated
- 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 ahi (or yellowfin) tuna steaks
- Drizzle of olive oil for the pan
For the Mango Salsa:
- ½ mango
- ½ red bell pepper any color will work I just think red is the prettiest here
- ¼ sweet onion
- ½ large jalapeno see note
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1 lime – zest + ½ the juice
To Serve:
- Serve over quinoa, rice, or salad
Instructions
For the Tuna:
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In a shallow dish or bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients until well combined, add the tuna steaks, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
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Remove tuna from the fridge
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Heat a pan over high heat, add the drizzle of olive oil, cook the steaks for ~2 minutes on each side, the tuna will be seared on the outside but rare on the inside (if you want your tuna cooked more increase cooking time on each side)
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Plate the tuna steaks and serve with mango salsa and quinoa, rice, or salad as desired
For the Mango Salsa:
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While the tuna is marinating chop the mango and red bell pepper into ~1/4” pieces
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Finely chop the onion and jalapeno (see notes)
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Finely chop the cilantro
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Combine mango, pepper, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a small bowl
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Add the lime zest and juice, stir to combine
Recipe Notes
- You can use more less jalapeno depending on how spicy you like your salsa, if you want a mild salsa remove all of the seeds and ribs from the jalapeno
- I’m not a big fan of raw onion and don’t want to bite into a large chunk so I chop mine super fine, if you have no problem with raw onion feel free to chop the onion into ~¼” pieces
- While this probably isn’t food safety expert approved I spooned the leftover marinade over my tuna, I figured the tuna is basically raw so the marinade should be fine (I also have zero qualms about eating raw eggs so take that as you will), but if you would like the extra flavor without potential food poisoning heat the leftover marinade and allow it to boil for a few minutes before serving
Dinnertime perfection 🙂
Looks amazing! Thank you for sharing recipe 🙂
http://www.estoniancuisine.com
Thanks 🙂