Tuna and Rice Bowl
No matter the time of year, you need to add this surprisingly simple and delicious meal to your weeknight menu now! If you guys know me at all, you know I love all things sushi related (you gotta check out our tutorial on how to make sushi at home).
I know pan seared ahi tuna isn’t EXACTLY sushi, but it is pretty darn close! It has very similar flavors, but deconstructed in the form of a rice bowl. A little easier to throw together than a traditional sushi roll. This super easy rice bowl comes together so easily – you need to try it ASAP!
And if you prefer your tuna to stay raw, try our Tuna Poke Bowl!
Key Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- raw tuna steaks – you can find these at the meat counter of your local grocery store (you may have to ask) or a local fish market.
- avocado, cucumber, & green onion – our favorite fresh ingredients that taste so good together and add beautiful color!
- soy sauce – option to sub with tamari or coconut aminos, up to you. Or try our homemade poke sauce, so yummy!
- cooked rice – any type of rice will work great, use white rice, brown rice, homemade sushi rice, or even cauliflower rice for even more veggies.
How To Make A Tuna Rice Bowl
Step 1: Place the thawed tuna steaks on a plate and pat dry with clean paper towels.
Step 2: Season both sides with salt and pepper. Option to also add some sesame seeds!
How Long To Cook Pan Seared Tuna
This will ultimately depend upon how well-done you want your steak and how thick your steak is, BUT if you are using around a 1/2-1 inch tuna steak and want it rare, then you will want to cook it for 30-45 seconds per side! Remove them from the pan and let the tuna rest for 3-5 minutes. I did a whole blog post about how to make seared ahi tuna steaks and it talks all about how to pick out the best and safest kind of tuna to eat!
Step 3: Sear 30-45 seconds per side (or longer depending upon how cooked you want it).
Step 4: Cut into bite-sized pieces and assemble the bowl over rice, any way you want!
Best Ways To Serve A Tuna Rice Bowl
These simple rice bowls are so versatile! We love to add some chopped green onions and cilantro on top and serve with a small bowl of soy sauce to add to the bowl as needed, but feel free to change this up and assemble your bowl to your preferred taste!
Simple Tuna Rice Bowl Recipe FAQ
The best tuna steak seasoning is salt and pepper, in my humble opinion! You could also sprinkle on some white sesame seeds or black sesame seeds, but tuna has great flavor on its own and I don’t think it needs much more than that!
I kept this recipe card fairly simple with some classic sushi ingredients, like avocado and cucumber. But feel free to add anything that sounds good to you. A few suggestions might be edamame, mango, julienned carrots, etc. You could also turn up the spice level and add some spicy mayo or wasabi mayo to make a spicy tuna rice bowl!
Other Rice Bowl Recipes You Might Like
Made this recipe and loved it?!
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Ingredients
- 2 ahi tuna steaks, 1-inch thick
- kosher salt & ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 medium cucumber, cut into ribbons with vegetable peeler
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 green onion, sliced
- soy sauce, sub tamari or coconut aminos
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, or whatever kind of rice you want!
- optional topping: spicy mayo
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package instructions.
- While rice is cooking, pat dry tuna steaks with paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat and add oil and to the pan.
- When oil is hot and smoking, add each steak, and cook for 30-45 seconds per side.
- Remove from the hot pan and let rest 3-5 minutes.
- While tuna is resting, add rice to serving bowls with diced avocado, cucumber ribbons, fresh cilantro, and green onions.
- Cut up tuna into large cubes and add to each bowl.
- Serve with soy sauce, tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
Notes
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free you can use coconut aminos or Tamari.
- Rice: feel free to use whatever rice you want!
- Add-Ins: feel free to top with our classic spicy mayo or this wasabi mayo to take it to the next level!
Other Tuna Recipes You Might Like
Mel says
Excellent recipe!! Whole family gobbled it up… subbed a chicken breast for my toddlers, but they actually loved the tuna in their bowls too!
Mel says
Excellent recipe!! Whole family gobbled it up… subbed a chicken breast for my toddlers, but they actually loved the tuna in their bowls too!
Suzan says
Excellent recipe! I could not make this for a family of five but it was doable for a romantic dinner for my husband and myself. I’ve never done tuna at home but it was so easy. We will definitely have it again when the kids are not home! 😂
Erin says
So happy you enjoyed this one, Suzan!