Ina Garten's Olive Oil Trick For Searing Tuna To Perfection

Simple seared tuna can make for a delicious meal, but technique is key if you're hoping to present a perfectly cooked dish to hungry diners sitting around your kitchen table. If you're tempted to quickly slap tuna onto the grill or into your frying pan without much thought, you may want to pause. This hasty approach is a difficult one if you're looking to achieve a beautiful sear. 

On the Food Network, hostessing queen Ina Garten recommends coating each side of raw tuna steak with olive oil before cooking. A brush can be used to paint streaks of olive oil across the tuna's exterior before a generous amount of spices and seasonings are added. Then, with a well-seasoned and oiled-up tuna steak to work with, you can confidently place the fish into a hot pan to produce a sear that is worthy of an Instagram post and contented murmurs from your guests.

According to Garten, the goal with tuna steaks is a crispy seared exterior that gives way to a raw inside — ideal for making wasabi rolls or plating beds of fresh green salads. Use a dry sauté pan to sear the fish. Once the tuna is in the pan, don't move it around or touch it, she instructs. In about two minutes, the tuna will have seared to golden perfection, and you can flip the fish over to repeat the cooking process on the other side. Watch your tuna steaks carefully, as overcooked tuna can yield a dry and flavorless dish, warns Garten.

With a perfectly seared tuna, you can get to work preparing the rest of your meal. Whether you're making a salad with toasted sesame noodles, assembling plates with avocado and cucumber, or want to spoon into bowls of rice and kimchi, your pretty seared tuna steaks will easily become the star.