Tuna tataki is a very fresh piece of tuna seared for a few seconds over high heat, then thinly sliced: the outside is browned and the inside stays raw and melting. In Japan, tataki is the name of this quick searing technique, first used for bonito and now also for tuna, salmon or beef.
On 6 May 2026, at Barny’s in Ghisonaccia, in Corsica, I tasted tuna and salmon sashimi and a delicious tuna tataki. It is rare to see tuna that red, and it made me want to prepare it at home.
Here is the traditional recipe, very simple, with a sesame crust and a homemade lemon ponzu sauce. The only real secret is the quality of the fish: buy extra-fresh, sashimi-grade tuna and use a very hot pan.
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
Tuna
- 400 g extra-fresh, sashimi-grade bluefin or yellowfin tuna, in a 4 cm thick block
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 pinch of sea salt flakes
Ponzu sauce
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp yuzu or lemon juice
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
Garnish
- 150 g daikon radish
- 2 spring onions
- 10 g fresh ginger
Method
- Take the tuna out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking. Pat it very dry with kitchen paper, season lightly with salt and roll it in the sesame seeds, pressing so they stick.
- Mix the soy sauce, yuzu or lemon juice, mirin and rice vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.
- Finely grate the daikon and squeeze it lightly to remove excess water. Thinly slice the spring onions and grate the ginger.
- Heat the oil in a cast-iron or heavy-based pan until it just starts to smoke. Sear the tuna for 20 to 30 seconds on each side, including the edges. The outside should be browned only 2 to 3 mm deep, with the centre still raw.
- Put the tuna on a board and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes: this makes clean slicing easier.
- With a very sharp knife, cut the tuna into slices 5 to 8 mm thick, using one single stroke per slice, without sawing.
- Fan the slices out on a plate. Add the daikon, ginger and spring onions, then pour over the ponzu sauce just before serving.
Tips and variations
- Buy the tuna on the day from a fishmonger you trust, tell them it will be eaten almost raw, and keep it well chilled until cooking.
- Do not leave the tuna sitting in the sauce: the citrus juice would end up cooking it and dulling its colour.
- Variation: the same technique works with a salmon fillet or a beef fillet.
- Tataki is best eaten right away, it does not keep.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.