How to Cook Frozen Tuna Steak

Tuna steak is a great fish dish. Whether it’s freshly bought frozen tuna steak or already in the freezer, you can defrost it in the refrigerator or microwave. After you thaw your tuna steak, you can pan-fry or grill for a delicious meal.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Pan-fried Tuna Steak

Prepare 2 servings

2 tuna steaks
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Cayenne pepper

Grilled Tuna Steak

Prepare 4 servings

110g tuna steak
1/4 cup (32 g) minced parsley
2 sprigs of tarragon (leaved, stem removed)
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lemon zest
Sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

Defrost in the fridge

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Place tuna steak in a plastic bag to defrost. Fish is usually prepackaged in plastic bags or some kind of plastic packaging. With tuna steak in particular and fish in general, you do not need to remove the food from the bag when defrosting. Tuna steaks will still defrost properly when in a plastic bag. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Place the tuna steak in the refrigerator. One very important thing: you should not defrost tuna at kitchen temperature or anywhere in the house. This protein is easily degraded, so the refrigerator can both defrost and still keep the tuna steak cold. Room temperature can thaw the outside of the fish, but at the same time reduce the freshness of the inside. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The appropriate temperature for defrosting fish is 5°C or less. Use a thermometer to check the temperature in the refrigerator.

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Leave the tuna steak in the refrigerator overnight. While it can take up to several hours to defrost fish in the refrigerator, this process will allow the food to fully thaw before cooking. By leaving the fish in the refrigerator overnight, the tuna steak will have enough time to defrost properly. ^{[3] X Trusted Source US Food and Drug Administration Go to source}

Tuna steaks should not be left in the refrigerator for longer than 24 hours. The longer the fish stays in the refrigerator, the more likely it is to deteriorate.

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Take the tuna steak out of the fridge the next morning. After the fish has defrosted in the refrigerator all night, you can take it out for cooking. Remove the tuna steak from the plastic bag and check for any signs of freezing ^{[4] X Research Source}

Microwave defrost

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Weigh tuna steak. Most microwave ovens have different defrosting instructions depending on the type of frozen food. Usually, the first step is to weigh the food. Proceed to place the fish steak on the kitchen scale (you can line it with a paper towel). ^{[5] X Trusted Source US Food and Drug Administration Go to source}

Make a note of the weight of the fish on paper or your phone.

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Set the microwave to defrost and then enter the weight of the tuna steak. For microwave ovens that do not require food weight input, defrost for about 5 minutes. If the appliance asks for a weight input, you will know the defrosting time via the electronic display. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Check the tuna every 5 minutes to see if you can bend the tuna steak. After 5 minutes, remove the fish from the microwave and use force to bend the fish. If the fish is still too hard or chewy, microwave it and defrost it for another 5 minutes. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Return the piece of fish after the first 5 minutes. Fish steaks need to be defrosted evenly so you can prepare them more easily.
Don’t worry if you can bend the fish steak but the surface of the food is still cold or the ice has not completely thawed. Once you can easily bend the fish, the food has been defrosted.

Make pan-seared tuna steak

Marinate the tuna steak with soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the steak on a clean plate and drizzle 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil evenly over the surface of the fish. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Try to spread the seasoning evenly when marinating.
Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. If you like spicy food, you can marinate a little more Cayenne pepper.

Place marinated tuna in a container or plastic bag. Place fish steaks after marinating in containers, bowls or zipper bags. If you need to cook right away, you can wait for 10 minutes for the spices to penetrate. If you’re not in a hurry, marinate the tuna steak overnight. ^{[9] X Research Source}

This process will help the seasoning fully penetrate the fish and the dish will be more delicious. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Heat a pan over medium or high heat. Put 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil in a pan and heat. Don’t let the pan get too hot because the pieces of fish can burn very quickly when you put them in the pan. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Place the tuna steak in the pan and bring to a boil. Sauté the tuna steak on each side for 2.5 minutes until cooked through. Similarly, you can time 2 minutes per side for a rare tuna steak and 3 minutes per side if you prefer medium doneness. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Cut the fish steak into slices about 1.3 cm thick and serve. Use a sharp knife to cut the tuna steak into bite-sized slices. You can garnish with green onions or put tuna on top of the salad. ^{[13] X Research Source}

If leftover tuna needs to be stored, refrigerate and use within 3 days.

Make grilled tuna steak

Grate the garlic, pepper, and salt over the tuna steak. Place the fish on a plate. Mince the garlic and rub it all over the surface of the fish. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper to season the fish according to taste. ^{[14] X Research Source}

You can add a little cayenne pepper to enhance the flavor.

Place each tuna steak in a zipper bag and marinate with lemon zest. Open the mouth of the bag and put the fish in. Add 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of lemon zest and close the bags. Shake the bag to evenly coat the lemon zest over the fish. ^{[15] X Research Source}

You can also place the bag of fish on a table or flat surface and rub the lemon zest to spread evenly over the steak.

Open the top of the bag and drizzle olive oil over the tuna steak. Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to each bag and press to get all the air out of the bag before closing. Shake the tuna bags so that the olive oil coats the fish evenly. ^{[16] X Research Source}

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Place the tuna in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. Place the marinated fish bags in the refrigerator and leave overnight. This way, the olive oil and lemon zest will penetrate the fish evenly. ^{[17] X Research Source}

The next morning, remove the fish before preheating the grill.