This air fryer tuna steak recipe will quickly be added to your rotation of easy, delicious meals. There is minimal prep involved and the tuna cooks in under 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon and this flavorful tomato relish and you will love every bite!
Why these tuna steaks are so good....
- The tuna needs minimal prep; no marinating, just some olive oil and seasoning.
- Your air fryer, with or without a grill insert, only takes minutes to cook fish. For other quick cooking fish recipes, try my Air Fryer Crispy Crab Cakes or Blackened Swordfish.
- Cooking from frozen only takes an extra minute or two, depending on how rare you like your tuna.
- Just add a vegetable or salad and dinner is ready in about 15 minutes. Butter Lettuce Salad or Marinated Asparagus would be delicious with this meal.
Ingredient Notes
- This recipe uses frozen ahi tuna steaks. Also known as yellowfin tuna, it is a healthy, lean source of protein, rich in vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids.
- It is a mild, sweeter flavor of fish that takes on many different flavors like blackened seasonings or marinades.
Step by Step Directions
- Preheat air fryer at 375°F for 5 minutes.
- Brush both sides of the tuna with olive oil and rub the seasonings into the tuna.
- Place frozen tuna steaks in the air fryer and cook for 2 minutes. Don't move them, let the tuna get a good sear then flip over and cook another 2 -3 minutes. If tuna is not frozen, it will take 1-2 minutes less.
- Test with a meat thermometer. Rare tuna with be very pink inside and will register 115°F. Medium rare will be lightly pink and be 125°F. Whats Cooking America has an entire page about how long to cook different meats and fish.
How to make Tomato Relish
The tuna tastes great as is, with lemon or some wasabi, but for an extra flavor sensation try it with homemade tomato relish. Use some garden fresh tomatoes or store bought, it tastes delicious either way.
- Cut scallions, celery and bell pepper to fit into a food processor. Combine with tomatoes, vinegar, seasonings and sugar or sugar substitute. Pulse until the texture is as course or fine as you'd like. Taste for seasoning. You can drain the additional liquid from the relish. Refrigerate until needed.
What else is good with tomato relish?
- Leftover relish? It will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, so get creative to use it up! Try it with burgers, in a meatloaf, with bratwurst or sausage. It would be delicious with anything you would normally use with ketchup or salsa.
How to choose tuna steaks?
- We love the convenience of frozen tuna. The tuna is flash frozen and vacuum sealed in packages that keep it very fresh.
- If you prefer to purchase your tuna fresh from a seafood market, choose one that has a large turnover of fish. Wikihow says to make sure the tuna does not have a strong fishy odor, is firm and moist looking. Avoid any that has any brown streaks, is dull or dry looking.
Try these delicious Air Fryer recipes:
Air Fryer Marinated Flank Steak
If you tried and enjoyed this recipe, I'd love for you to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating. This tells me what recipes you like and want to see more of. Thank you!
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Air Fryer Tuna Steaks
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Description
This air fryer tuna steak recipe will quickly be added to your rotation of easy, delicious meals. There is minimal prep involved and the tuna cooks in under 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon and this flavorful tomato relish and you will love every bite!
Ingredients
Swordfish
- 2 (6 oz.) ahi tuna steaks, fresh or frozen
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning*
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Tomato Relish
- 1 celery stalk, cut in 3 pieces if using food processor *
- 3 scallions, cut in 3 pieces *
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeds and core removed, cut in medium chunks*
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes *
- 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute
- 2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
- ¼-½ crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Tomato Relish
- For Food Processor: Pulse celery and pepper chunks in processor for 10 seconds or so and add tomatoes, scallions, sugar, vinegar and seasonings. Don't over process, the relish should still have a bit of a chunky texture and not be liquified and runny.
- If not using processor, just finely chop the vegetables to the size that you would like for the relish. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Swordfish
- Preheat air fryer at 375°F. for 5 minutes.
- Mix seasonings in a small bowl
- Rub tuna steak with olive oil and seasonings on both sides.
- Cook tuna for 2 minutes and flip over for another 2 minutes.
- If tuna is fresh, it will take a minute less.
- Test with a meat thermometer. Rare will be 115°F and medium rare will register 125°F.
- Let the tuna rest for 5 minutes and serve with lemon and tomato relish.
Notes
*If you don't have Old Bay, use ½ teaspoon each of paprika, onion powder, celery salt, pepper.
*Leftover tuna will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in an airtight container. You can reheat in the air fryer or a pan on the stovetop. But the tuna may not be as tender and may be drier after reheating.
*The tomato relish will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use on burgers, meatloaf, sausages or any food that you would use with ketchup or salsa.
Keywords: grilled fish, seafood dinner
Gina says
So easy and delicious prepared this way!
★★★★★
Deb Belsha says
Yes!
Meg says
Really digging this air fryer recipe
★★★★★
Deb Belsha says
So happy you enjoyed!