Hi! I’m back post-wedding and minimoon and I am still floating on cloud 9 โฅ๏ธ Now, back to the kitchen! In the last 18 months, we’ve seen an explosion of poke restaurants. I’ve had some amazing poke bowls and some underwhelming ones, but consistently, I always feel like this is something I should be making, not buying…the high price tag was a good push into the kitchen to give this a try! I pulled this recipe for my Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna Rice Bowl together quickly and didn’t have time to go buy sushi grade tuna, so I bought wild yellowfin tuna steaks instead and seared them up. Such a satisfying meal and rice bowls have endless customization possibilities!
INGREDIENTS
Marinade
- 1/4 Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
Tuna
- 4 6 oz Tuna Steaks
- Sesame Seeds, white and/or black
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Bowl Ingredients
- 2 cup Brown Rice, cooked
- 1 Avocado, sliced
- 1 cup Cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup Edamame, shelled and cooked
- 1 cup Carrot, grated
Sauce
- 1/4 Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
Optional Toppings
- Scallions, chopped
- Sesame seeds
- Sesame Crackers, broken
- Crispy Wonton Noodles
- Pickled Ginger
- Wasabi
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.
Add tuna steaks to a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the fish. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes–I like to put the fish in the marinade in the morning and then sear the fish for dinner. If you are doing a long marinade, take the fish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring closer to room temperature.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot.



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Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
Tuna
- 2 6 oz Tuna Steaks
- Sesame Seeds white and/or black
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
Bowl Ingredients
- 2 cups Brown Rice cooked
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1 cup Cucumber sliced
- 1 cup Edamame shelled, cooked
- 1 cup Carrot grated
Sauce
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
Optional Toppings
- Scallions chopped
- Sesame Seeds
- Sesame Crackers broken
- Crispy Wonton Noodles
- Pickled Ginger
- Wasabi
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl. Add tuna steaks to a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the fish. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes--I like to put the fish in the marinade in the morning and then sear the fish for dinner. If you are doing a long marinade, take the fish out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring closer to room temperature.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot.
- Place the sesame seeds in a wide shallow bowl or on a plate. Coat the fish on all sides with sesame seeds.
- Place the steaks in the hot pan and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes, then slice.
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Assemble bowls. I like to make a rice bed and then keep the mix-ins separate on top, but that's more for visual appeal.
- Dress with the sauce and then add in your toppings and enjoy!