Seared Ahi Salad with perfectly spiced tuna tossed with fresh greens, mango, avocado, tomato, red onion, and creamy wasabi dressing. A vibrant, flavorful healthy dinner recipe that can be made any night of the week in 30 minutes or less!
You’re looking at my all-time favorite salad. And that’s saying a lot, considering salad consists of roughly 60% of my diet.
Why is it my favorite, you ask? I have answers.
This healthy salad recipe is packed with lean, healthy protein. As you saw in my Ahi Poke post, I’m a big fan of raw fish. I also love a good crispy sear-on-the-outside, raw-on-the-inside situation for some added texture and flavor. Plus, it’s tough to beat a super fresh ahi tuna fillet!
It is full of superfood greens to fill up your vitamin tank, and studded with flavorful ingredients like mango, avocado, red onion, and heirloom tomato.
Tossed in a creamy yet light homemade dressing to bring the whole meal into the most magnificent flavor meld you’ve ever experienced, this salad is, in a phrase: the perfect bite.
How to Sear Ahi:
If you’ve never seared ahi at home, it’s nothing scary, I promise!
Simply heat some oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high (you want it pretty hot in order to make the outside of the fish crispy), sprinkle the ahi fillet with spices, and cook the fillet for 1 to 1.5 minutes on each side, leaving the center rare.
Allow the fillet to sit for a few minutes on a cutting board before chopping it into strips with a sharp knife.
That’s it! Never will you ever need to dine out again in order to enjoy a fresh and tasty ahi experience.
I used ground cumin and smoked paprika for seasoning the ahi, along with a pinch of turmeric and cloves.
The seasoning is so flavorful, it doesn’t take much in order to give the fish a little something special.
Just be sure to select a cut of tuna that is sushi grade – it should say on the label, but if there is any confusion as to whether or not it can be safely consumed raw, be sure to ask the butcher at your grocery store.
The creamy wasabi dressing here, guys…mind blowing.
Tahini gives the dressing a creamy texture, while liquid aminos (or soy sauce), wasabi, and rice vinegar make it super zingy.
Even if you’re wasabi-averse, I encourage you to try the dressing! It’s fairly mild from a heat standpoint, but big on flavor. You can adjust the amount of wasabi paste you use accordingly.
For the salad portion of this meal, I used a mixture of power greens – baby kale, chard, and spinach, and tossed in some chopped mango, avocado, heirloom tomato, red onion, and crystallized ginger.
Amazing how well all of these ingredients jive!
I know what you’re thinking – crystallized ginger in a salad? Is Julia off her rocker?
For lack of a better way to describe it, it’s like adding dried cranberries or raisins to a salad, except it lends a bit of heat.
For those of you who have never purchased crystallized ginger, it can be found in the spice aisle of your local grocery store, or you can buy it online.
While the list of ingredients required for this recipe is lengthy, I assure you the meal is simple to prepare.
How to Make Seared Ahi Salad:
It is completed in three parts:
1.) Prepare the creamy wasabi dressing.
2.) Toss the salad ingredients in a serving bowl
3.) Sear the ahi.
Altogether, the recipe took me 30 minutes to make from start-to-finish. Whether you’re having a date night in, or are just looking for a special meal to fancify a weeknight meal, this salad’s your main squeeze!
If you love salads like this, also try my Broiled Salmon and Fig Salad.
Seared Ahi Salad with Creamy Wasabi Dressing
Ingredients
Seared Ahi:
- 1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna fillet
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
Salad:
- 5 ounces mixed greens*
- 1 ripe mango peeled and diced
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 small heirloom tomato diced
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger chopped, optional
Creamy Wasabi Dressing:
- 4 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil**
- 1 Tbsp tahini or peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp liquid aminos***
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup or honey
Instructions
Prepare the Seared Ahi:
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high with enough oil to coat the surface, about 2 tablespoons.
- Stir together the ground cumin, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, and sea salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the ahi fillet with the spice blend and use your hands to gently pat the seasonings into the fish.
- Carefully place the ahi fillet on the center of the surface of the hot skillet. Cook 1 to 1½ minutes, or until the fillet is golden-brown and crispy. Flip and cook on the other side for 1 to 1-½ minutes, or until tuna reaches desired done-ness. The goal is to get a golden brown sear on both sides while allowing the center of the fish to remain rare. Transfer the seared ahi to a cutting board and allow the fish to cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut the tuna into strips using a sharp knife. Use immediately on your salad or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a few hours, until ready to use.
Prepare the Creamy Wasabi Dressing:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Prepare the Salad:
- Add all of the ingredients for the salad in a large serving bowl. Toss in desired amount of creamy wasabi dressing. Serve salad with seared ahi tuna on top.
Thank you for the fantastic recipe. We loved it and will make again.
Thank you, Stasia! I appreciate you sharing your experience! xo
Hi, this looks AMAZING, I’m going to make it asap. Quick question, is the sesame oil toasted or untoasted? Thanks!
Hi Duncan! I use toasted sesame oil. Thanks for catching that! Hope you enjoy! xo
Hello Julia, I’m thinking of making this dressing, and I was wondering: Is that toasted or untoasted sesame oil?
Hi Tobias,
I just use regular (untoasted) sesame oil, although I’m sure both would be great!
I was hungry when I saw it. thanks for this great information. I will try it today.
Oh Boy! The salad looks absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing, as I never thought one can create a wasabi dressing salad. The ingredients and the spices used are great and it looks tasty too. I am definitely going to try making this dish.
So happy to hear it, Anna! I’m a huge fan of both wasabi and ahi, so for me, the salad is perfection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I!
It’s funny that seared ahi sounds so fancy but it’s actually super easy! That dressing does sound amazing. I can imagine the tahini gives it a nice creamy texture and that it pairs perfectly with the ginger. SO MUCH YUM.
Right? I always assumed searing ahi was a big to-do, but it’s easier than cooking chicken! You should definitely try the creamy wasabi dressing! It’s been my go-to for all the salads lately!
I used to be afraid of raw fish, and while I don’t eat sushi too often, I love seared ahi! The flavors in this salad are off the charts, and I especially love the addition of the ginger. I can see why this is your favorite salad!
I hear ya – I’m pretty choosy when it comes to raw fish, so I tend to go the uber expensive route and buy from Whole Foods just to be sure I’m getting the quality I need. So happy you like the salad! I hope you try it!
What a delicious looking salad and the wasabi dressing sounds fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve got to go get some tuna!
Thanks, Joe! Let me know if you give it a go!
That creamy wasabi dressing sounds to die for! Rice wine vinegar and aminos add so much flavor, yum 🙂
Yuuuuhs! Wasabi lovers unite!