What to do with these Ahi Tuna steaks?

I really don’t mean to belabor the point, but cooking a 1.5" thick steak on a hot gas grill will get you a seared very rare steak. My experience with the Costco ahi steaks has been that if you want a rare steak then you would cook them for approximately 5-6 minutes per side. If you want well done (no pink) then you are talking about 10 minutes per side. Everyone has a different threshhold regarding degree of doneness, particularly for fish. As already stated, and a position I totally agree with, you do not want to overcook tuna and according to most knowledgeable sources that would mean not going beyond the medium rare stage.

BTW, I have talked with the Costco butchers and, while they cannot sell it as such, they have stated that it could be used for sashimi or sushi. I have personally used it for sashimi now on three different occasions without any ill effects but I would not want to actually recommend that to anyone.

I want to respond before I read what everyone else said.

Ahi is one of my very favorite dishes.

1- preheat skillet to very hot

2- spray or brush oil (vegetable, canola, suit yourself) on top of the slab o’tuna

3- pepper same side of same slab (I like LOTS of pepper)

4- with skillet still on HIGH heat, put in the fish, oily-pepper side down

5- immediately oil and pepper the top side of the slab

6- after about one and a half minutes, flip the fish over (leave heat under skillet on HIGH)

7- after another 1.5 minutes or so, turn heat off under skillet, cover the skillet, and let the tuna sit in there for 5 minutes.

8- remove fish from pan. If you got it juuust right, the fish will be nicely seared, with medium-rare inside.

A little salt, and I’m set.

What thickness of ahi steaks do you typically get? My point above is that cooking instructions depend on the thickness!

For a steak or a pork chop I go by thickness because to get to medium rare you have to heat the inside a bit. But with an ahi tuna steak I just want a thin seared ring around the outside with the inside pretty much raw like sashimi. 3/4" thick or 1 1/2" thick, I cook it the same, about a minute and a half per side on high heat. Hold it on edge with some tongs to get the sides lightly seared too and it’s good to go for me.

I’ve got 2 favorite tuna steak recipes.

One is a marinade of lime juice, olive oil, and Old Bay - I put it in a plastic bag, add the tuna, make sure it’s coated all over, then squeeze all the air out and let it sit for an hour or so. Broil or grill. YUM!

Tuna is also good with a teriyaki marinade.

Hmmm…if you marinade a bit longer in the lime juice, you could stop right there and make a ceviche. I think. Hmmmmm

I sear 1 to 2 minutes per side even for a very thick steak. Then I immediately put it in the freezer to stop the cooking. Once it’s cool, I slice it thin and dip it in soy sauce and wasabi, or ponzu, or sesame chili oil.

Or I skip the searing and do the same thing.

Sorry! My recipe is specifically for 1" thick steaks.
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