Get some good quality fresh or frozen tuna – yellowfin is the most commonly sold at supermarkets and wholesale clubs

Frozen is sometimes safer than the typical pieces sitting out in the display case for an unknown timeframe – look for nice pink fish – not too much visible gristle – shouldn’t smell fishy, if the frozen does once thawed then return it, you deserve better!

1.5”-2” thick pieces are good – seems like the small frozen filets are closer to 1”, so you need to sear them quickly if you want them rare.

For the dipping sauce – there are 2 main ingredients – Thai sate mixed with Sweet chili sauce – and the rest is gravy lol.

Mix 1 part Thai sate sauce (look for one with more natural ingredients, that doesn’t have sugar or oil listed first)

With 1 part Thai sweet chili sauce

The average jar of sate sauce is 8 oz so maybe 1/2 jar sate, 1/2 cup sweet chili – taste along the way until it’s to your preference

1 tsp lower sodium soy sauce

2-3 tbsp coconut milk

2-3 tbsp tangerine or orange juice (can add some zest too)

2 tbsp finely chopped pickled sushi ginger (or fresh grated) – natural food stores and some Asian markets carry a deliciously sweet and spicy all natural pickled ginger with no preservatives, that doesn’t have that odd smell (like ammonia) that some of the commercial brands have

2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter – or creamy and add some coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

Thaw tuna pieces if frozen – just thawed and still very cold is good if you want it more rare inside

Smear pieces lightly first with soy sauce, then wasabi paste to make a “glue” that helps the sesame seeds stick (and adds a bit of zing to the tuna)

Pour a thick layer of sesame seeds into a plate (add fresh coarsely ground black pepper if desired), and press tuna pieces into it, turning then and pressing the seeds into them until coated on all sides

Sear lightly on all sides – when the seeds are a it toasty that’s usually enough

You can set them in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes to halt the cooking process if you want them to stay more rare, and they firm up a bit and cut more easily

Use a very sharp, thin, non-serrated knife to cut them into 1/4” slices, fan them out and serve with the sauce. You can save extra pieces whole in fridge for the next day

Goes very well with an Asian-style salad.

I start with a chopped Asian salad kit (for 2-4 people I only use half the kit and dressing to start, since it grows into a mountain of salad once I add so much other stuff).

I add diced tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado, apples, tangerines, and/or other fruits like mango, nectarines, etc., fresh basil, cilantro, scallions etc. – any or all of whatever I have on hand. 

I add a generous amount of the chopped ginger too, and a clove of pressed or very finely chopped garlic.

I also often add some sliced kalamata olives, and crumbled or diced feta cheese with herbs for a contrast. 

Then on top of the dressing in the kit I add a dash of olive oil, and more vinegar to taste (almost any kind of good vinegar, sometimes a splash of a few kinds).