Smoked Tuna

These tasty brined tuna steaks smoked to perfection, are a great place to start if you are new to smoking seafood. It's a super simple melt-in-your-mouth recipe that turns out delicious every time!

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pellet grill, smoked, smoked tuna, tuna

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 1

Brining Time: 1

Total Time: 2 5

Servings:

Calories: 58kcal

Author: Imma

Ingredients

2-3 tuna steaks (about 6-8 ounces each)
3-4 cups water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons salt (adjust to taste)
2 green onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1-inch piece ginger, crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
wood chips or pellets for smoking (hickory, mesquite, applewood, etc.)

Instructions

Brining

Mix the water, soy sauce, kosher salt, green onions, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and pepper flakes in a large bowl. Stir well until the salt completely dissolves. It might take a few minutes. To save time, dissolve the salt in about a cup of hot water and let it cool completely before adding it to the brine.
Add tuna steaks to the brine, or put them in a large ziplock bag and pour the brine over them until fully submerged. Add more brine as needed.
Seal the bowl with plastic wrap or seal the ziplock bag and refrigerate for 1-3 hours, depending on the steak's thickness. Avoid brining for too long as tuna is delicate and can get overly salty and fall apart when smoking.
Remove the tuna steaks from the brine, discard excess particles, and gently pat them dry with paper towels. If time permits, let the tuna air-dry in the refrigerator for an hour or two to form a pellicle (a film that absorbs the smoke better and keeps the fish moist).

Smoking

Set up your pellet grill according to the manufacturer's instructions and preheat it to around 200-225°F (93-107°C).
Place the tuna steaks directly on the smoker grates. Optionally brush them with a bit of olive oil for extra moisture and flavor.
Smoke the tuna steaks for 1-1½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (63°C) and the fish flakes easily. Smoking times will vary depending on the steaks' thickness and the smoker's temperature.
Once smoked to your desired level of doneness, remove the tuna from the smoker.
Allow the smoked tuna steaks to rest for a few minutes before serving.
Serve as is with vegetable sides or make smoked tuna dip, salads, and sandwiches.

Notes

Avoid brining the tuna steaks for too long. Tuna is delicate and can become overly salty and fall apart when smoking.
Tuna is lean and can dry out quickly. Keep a close eye on it and consider pulling it out of the smoker just before it hits the desired temperature. It will continue cooking slightly after you take it out of the smoker.
If you use wood pellets to smoke your tuna, buy food-grade pellets made from 100% natural hardwood. Lower-quality pellets sometimes contain fillers, binders, or artificial flavors and negatively affect your smoked fish steak's taste.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition