Grilled Tuna

Three ingredients. That’s all this grilled tuna needs: fresh tuna steaks, sherry vinegar, and salt and pepper. The simplicity is the point. When you start with quality fish, you don’t need to bury it under layers of sauce and seasoning.

Sherry vinegar is the quiet star here. More complex and mellow than regular wine vinegar, it has a nutty, slightly sweet acidity that complements tuna’s rich, meaty flavor. The 30-minute to 1-hour marinade gives the acid time to season the surface without “cooking” the fish the way citrus would.

The grilling times give you real control. Two to three minutes per side leaves the center ruby red and cool, the way sashimi-grade tuna is meant to be eaten. Five minutes per side takes it to well done, though that sacrifices the silky, almost buttery texture that makes fresh tuna special.

Pat the steaks completely dry before grilling. Wet fish sticks to the grate and steams instead of searing. You want those dark grill marks and a slight char.

Pro Tips

• Use the freshest tuna you can find. Sushi-grade is ideal for rare preparation.
• Oil the grill grates well before cooking. Tuna sticks aggressively to a dry grate.
• Don’t move the steaks for the first 2 minutes. Let the crust form, then flip once.
• Rest the steaks for a minute after grilling. Like any protein, they continue cooking off the heat.

Variations

• Sesame crusted: Press sesame seeds onto the marinated steaks before grilling for a nutty crust.
• Asian marinade: Add soy sauce, ginger, and a touch of sesame oil to the sherry vinegar for a Pacific Rim twist.