Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Tomato Spinach Sauce
This easy recipe for pan-seared tuna steaks with tomato spinach sauce has ALL the good tastes, and is ready in a half hour! And if you want to take it to the next level, try it served over creamy, dreamy polenta or grits. Healthy deliciousness!
Jump to:
- 🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- ⭐️ Why this recipe works
- 🍅 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- 🧐 Recipe FAQs
- 🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
- 🐟 Other tuna recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Tomato Spinach Sauce
🔎 A quick look at this recipe
- What It Is: Seared tuna steaks topped with a fresh tomato spinach caper sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Servings: 2 servings
- Calories: 450 calories
- Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Good For: Quick weeknight dinners, Summer seafood suppers, Casual entertaining with friends, Tuna steak recipe ideas.
⭐️ Why this recipe works
We do love this delicious conglomeration of sweet onion and tomato and spinach sauce poured over seared sliced tuna for SO many reasons…let me count the ways!
First tuna steaks. They are one of the easiest (and most forgiving!) seafoods I know…unlike the more fragile fishies like filet of sole, tuna steaks are scrumptiously sturdy, and all they need is a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a quick sear in your favorite frying pan.
Next up, the sauce…a super easy mixture of chopped sweet onion and tomatoes and spinach that you ladle over your sliced tuna. Vegetables with dinner, CHECK! ✅
It’s the kind of simple, restaurant-worthy meal that comes together surprisingly fast.
I like to serve this seafood supper over grits, but pasta, polenta, rice or even mashed potatoes would work…or you can serve it just as it is, with some bread to mop up all that sauce. Oh, the possibilities!
🍅 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Tuna Steaks: Aim for steaks about 1 to 1½ inches thick so they can get a nice sear without overcooking. You can also tell your seafood vendor that you are looking for sushi-grade tuna, especially if you are going to cook it as rare as we do.
- Spinach: We like baby spinach for this recipe, but regular spinach will work too – just give it a good chop before you add it in.
- Capers: Look for these briny little pickled seeds in with the condiments. They are going to give this recipe the perfect little pop of tangy flavor.
💡 Ingredient substitution ideas
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find more ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutrition
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Heat a little olive oil oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion until tender, about 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Stir in some chopped tomatoes, spinach and capers. Cook over medium low heat until everything is thick and tender.
STEP 3: While the veggies are cooking, put some more oil in another large skillet (if you have a cast iron one, this is the time to break it out!), sprinkle the tuna with salt and pepper and sear the tuna for 2-5 minutes on each side, depending on how rare you like it.
STEP 4: Slice the tuna into strips and serve covered with the tomato spinach sauce. It’s delectable all on its own, but if you want some grains with your tuna, serve over polenta or rice. Or grits. Or pasta!
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Yes! Swordfish, mahi-mahi, halibut, or salmon would all be delicious with the tomato-spinach sauce. Look for a nice thick piece.
Yep!. Diced canned tomatoes are just fine when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season…drain a 14.5 ounce can and you will be all set.
Capers bring a tangy, salty flavor that balances the sweetness of the onions and tomatoes. You can absolutely leave them out though…the sauce will still be delicious, though it will have a slightly milder flavor.
You bet! Grill the tuna over high heat for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how rare you like your tuna (we like it SUPER rare!).
Make sure the skillet is super hot before adding the tuna, and don’t move it until it has formed a crust. Then it should come off easily.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto! 💨
🍽️ What to serve with this recipe
We love serving this seafood supper over fresh corn polenta or mashed potatoes, or with some sheet pan bread on the side.
And for dessert? Let’s have an easy strawberry cheesecake tart!
🐟 Other tuna recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card. Thank you!
Pan-Seared Tuna Steaks with Tomato Spinach Sauce
This easy recipe for pan-seared tuna steaks with tomato spinach sauce has ALL the good tastes, and is ready in a half hour!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 pound tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 four ounce tuna steaks (about an inch thick)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat half of the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion until tender, about 5 minutes, and then stir in the tomatoes, spinach and capers. Cook over medium low heat until everything is thick and tender.
- While the veggies are cooking, put the rest of the oil in another large skillet (if you have a cast iron one, this is the time to break it out!), sprinkle the tuna with salt and pepper and sear the tuna for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on how rare you like it.
- Slice the tuna into strips and serve covered with the tomato spinach sauce. It’s delectable all on its own, but if you want some grains with your tuna, serve over polenta or rice.
Notes
-
- Tuna Steaks: Aim for steaks about 1 to 1½ inches thick so they can get a nice sear without overcooking. Look for a deep red or ruby color (not brownish or dull). You can also tell your seafood vendor that you are looking for sushi-grade tuna, especially if you are going to cook it as rare as we do.
-
- Spinach: We like baby spinach for this recipe, but regular spinach will work too – just give it a good chop before you add it in.
-
- Capers: Look for these briny little pickled seeds in with the condiments. They are going to give this recipe the perfect little pop of tangy flavor.
This is a wonderful, easy recipe. I made it last night, though I didn’t bother to slice the steaks into strips. Even the 3-5 minutes direction was useful. I cooked my wife’s tuna steak for 5 minutes a side, and mine for 3 minutes. We’ll make this again and again!
Hi Norm and thank you for this wonderful review! I’m so glad you liked it as much as we do…it’s a delicious way to work some seafood into our suppers. 😋
Funny post, it made me laugh. :) I love the sound of this dish and I don’t find the picture so bad either, you are too harsh on yourself. But I know what you mean, the pictures don’t always make justice to a dish. I would love to try this, I was never very lucky with tuna, I tend to over cook it, but this sounds so easy, I might actually manage. :)
Thanks Adina – this made me smile! I hope you do try this – if you love tuna, I know you will love this! :)
We must be thinking on the same wavelength, because I just worked on a salmon and grits recipe! You might not be happy with the photo, but looking at it makes me want to dig right in! It looks scrumptious!! I think we all can relate to your wreath hanger conundrum. I’m glad your husband was able to make lemon out of lemonade this time. :)
Oh no, I meant to say “lemonade out of lemons”! :)
Ha! I figured. :)
OOOOh, salmon and grits! Seafood and grits were just Meant To Be. :)
I think it looks delicious Kate! So glad you shared!
Aw, thanks Mary Ann! Good summer beach eating, right? :)