Ditch any misconceptions you may have had about cooking with fresh tuna because this fresh tuna recipe with caramelized onions is about to wow you on all culinary levels!
Fresh tuna with caramelized onions is quite possibly one of my favorite seafood dishes to be enjoyed as a dinner option. It’s easy, quick to make, and will even satisfy those red meat addicts!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It’s the perfect recipe for two on special occasions like Valentine’s day or date night but can easily be used to feed the family by simply increasing the ingredients.
- The vermouth used in the caramelized onion mixture offers a richness and sophistication to this dish although the recipe in itself is incredibly versatile to suit personal preferences.
- Fresh tuna is a wholesome and healthy alternative to eating red meat. It has the most beef-like qualities of all fish due to the deep red color when raw.
Pair this fresh tuna and caramelized onions alongside your favorite grilled or roasted veggies and choice of wholegrain and you have yourself a winner!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this fresh tuna recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- Onions
- Black Peppercorn
- Bay Leaf
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Add the onions to a large skillet once the oil is hot from heating on a medium high heat.
- Cook the onions for 15 minutes or until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally and not allowing them to turn too dark.
- Add the peppercorns, bay leaf and wine to the skillet and bring it all to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low; allowing the onion mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the onions from the skillet and put them in a dish to keep warm. Add butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. Then add the tuna steaks.
- Cook the tuna for about 3 minutes or until browned on both sides.
- Place the onions back into the skillet next to the tuna. Reduce the heat to medium heat and cook for an additional minute or two, being careful that the tuna doesn’t overcook. Remove the bay leaf.
- Immediately serve the tuna steaks with the onions and enjoy!
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- A large 10-inch skillet - we like using our iron skillet.
- Sharp knife - a sharp knife makes cutting onions MUCH easier.
- Cutting board -- we like the non-skid ones. Nothing worse than having a board scoot as you're working.
- Liquid measuring cup -- a sharp spout on a cup is important so that you can pour easily.
- Spatula -- rubber or silicone. We do prefer the silicone if you're working with something hot.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making this fresh tuna recipe.
Fresh tuna is actually very healthy since it's low in calories and fat. With that said, you should always handle it while practicing good food hygiene. Purchase your fresh tuna from a reputable source as some tuna can contain high levels of mercury due to pollution in the oceans.
Fresh tuna is typically good for 1-2 days when stored properly in the refrigerator. As with any raw seafood, it's best to err on the side of caution and use your fresh tuna as close to the purchase date as possible.
Fresh tuna is higher in protein with a little more calories than canned tuna when comparing the same quantities. Canned tuna tends to have a higher sodium content than fresh tuna due to the brine in the can. If you are trying to reduce sodium from your diet then fresh tuna is the better option.
All you want to do when cooking fresh tuna is to sear both sides of the steaks on high heat for 3 - 4 minutes. While the outer sides of the tuna should be browned, the inside of the tuna steaks should be pink or red. You'll know that you've overcooked the tuna if the inside turns a dull grey color - at that point, it's going to be dry and unpleasant to eat as is.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- If you overcook the tuna steaks by accident, don’t throw them away! While they will be quite dry to eat as intended, you can use the tuna to make a tuna salad, adding mayonnaise and mustard along with other ingredients that will help add back the moisture lost.
- The tuna is going to continue cooking even after being removed from the skillet, which is why you should be ready to serve it immediately and not let it rest as you’d do for beef.
- Make sure that the oil in the skillet is hot before adding the tuna. You want to sear the outer edges of the tuna, not cook the tuna steak through. The oil will simmer and have a bubbly look to it when it’s hot enough.
- Leftover cooked tuna (whether stored in the fridge or freezer) would probably be best enjoyed when used in other recipes such as a tuna salad. Reheating leftover cooked tuna to enjoy as a steak may result in a dry piece of meat.
📚 Variations
- If you don’t usually cook with wine or don’t enjoy it in food, use chicken broth instead. It may alter the overall taste of the dish somewhat but it’ll still be incredibly delicious!
- This fresh tuna with caramelized onions is just not the same without those golden brown aromatic onions. They really do add extra flavor to this dish although you can certainly cook the fresh tuna steaks alone and omit the other ingredients.
- Some recipes call for dredging the tuna steaks in flour with salt and ground pepper before adding them to the skillet. Dredging any food for pan frying adds color, flavor, and texture to food and can also help seal in moisture. While I enjoy my fresh tuna steaks without a coating of flour, you’re more than welcome to try this variation.
🥫 Storage
Leftover cooked tuna should be stored in a shallow airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and will last for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze cooked tuna for 2-4 months when stored properly.
📗 Related Recipes
Grilled or pan-fried tuna steaks are a delicious and healthy alternative to beef and other darker meats. Consider including Seared Tuna Steaks Alla Genovese and Southern Italian Grilled Tuna Steaks into your meal planning.
This fresh tuna recipe with caramelized onions wouldn’t be the same without those super flavorful onions! Check out more ways you can incorporate your love for caramelized onions in other recipes - Baked Goat Cheese Marinara Dip With Caramelized Onions and Cheese And Caramelized Onion Bread certainly come to mind!
🍽 Serve with
While I haven’t added any garnish to these fresh tuna steaks once cooked, a few mint leaves would be a great idea to add some freshness to the tuna.
This fresh tuna recipe with caramelized onions also pairs beautifully with grilled vegetables, zucchini noodles, or a whole grain like my Farro and Peas side dish.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
This fresh tuna recipe with caramelized onions is rather dear to my heart since it reminds me of my mamma’s cooking where she’d typically add cipolle fritte (fried onions) to various seafood dishes for simple yet delicious family meals.
I always marveled at my mamma's ability to slice, dice and wield her knives like the most proficient of chef.
Her knife skills when slicing onions were incredible - something I always strive for!
My Hubby is like that. I always said that if we decided to attend the CIA ( Culinary Institute of America) not the other CIA he'd progress to other classes while I'd be stuck in knifes. 🙁 Sometimes when I've got lots of cutting and dicing to do -- he takes over. It takes him half the time that it takes me.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
If you’re looking for an easy and quick seafood dish, then my fresh tuna recipe with caramelized onions {Tonno con Cipolle Caramellate} is a must-try! It can be enjoyed as a family meal yet has enough sophistication in taste to be served on your next special occasion.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Easy Fresh Tuna Recipe with Caramelized Onions (Tonno con Cipolle Caramellate)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 medium onions thinly sliced
- 3 black peppercorns
- ½ bay leaf
- ½ cup dry Vermouth or dry white wine*
- 2 6 to 8-oz. tuna steaks -- remove the steaks from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking. Salt and pepper both sides before putting them in skillet.
Instructions
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onions; cook about 15 minutes or until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Don't let them get too dark -- turn down heat if necessary.
- Add peppercorns, bay leaf and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove onions from skillet and put in a dish to keep warm. Add the butter to the skillet and increase heat to high. Add tuna steaks; cook about 3 minutes or until browned on both sides. Put the onions back into the skillet next to the tuna. Reduce the heat to medium; cook an additional minute or two. Take care that the tuna does not overcook -- it will keep cooking even with the heat off. Remove bay leaf.
- Immediately serve the tuna with the onions.
Notes
- * If you don't like wine you may use chicken broth.
- Adapted from a Pillsbury "Just for two" recipe.
Nutrition
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. PromiseFirst published March 2, 2015. Last updated December 2, 2021. Updated with more information and new photos and instructions for a better reader experience.
