What You Need To Know Before Attempting To Sear Tuna Steaks With A Torch

Few seafood dishes could stand against a seared tuna steak cooked correctly. The lean fish should be seared at high temperatures for a few minutes, so that the exterior is smoky and crispy while the inside is juicy and soft. Some people assume that a culinary torch is the best way to quickly get this desired result, but that isn't actually the case. To settle the question, The Takeout spoke to Hidekazu Kato, chef de cuisine of Robata in Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono in Japan. Chef Kato features a variety of food in his sophisticated menu, including fried spiced Hokkaido octopus, dried hokke fish, king crab, and tuna tataki.

When searing tuna steak, Kato simply wouldn't recommend using a culinary torch. "I think it's difficult to make a seared tuna steak with a home-use kitchen torch. It would only result in something like tuna tataki or seared tuna, where only the surface is browned," he explains. Tuna tataki is a popular Japanese dish made by slicing sushi-grade tuna into thin pieces. This is the only tuna-specific case in which chef Kato would recommend a kitchen torch. "I think a delicious tuna tataki can be made by quickly searing the surface to get a nice, toasted finish while leaving the inside rare," states the chef.

A culinary torch is a wonderful tool that can elevate your dishes if you use it correctly. It can help you make a perfect crème brûlée, give your steak a tiny bit of char, or successfully smoke your cocktails, but it's not a great tool for searing meat. This is especially true for amateur cooks who are making meals at home. Searing can be a tricky technique, as it requires you to know exactly when to take the meat out of the pan or grill. If you take it out too fast, it won't be crispy, and if you take it out too late, it will be overcooked. The issue is that torches also require a certain level of technique. It's easy to make small torch mistakes that could ruin your meal — like burning your tuna steak rather than searing it. Even if you've mastered the torch, the tool is meant for a very superficial sear and can leave your tuna steak undercooked. 

Instead of trying to use a tool that's wrong for a recipe, sometimes it's best to stick with techniques that are tried and true. Nothing really beats a cast iron pan or grill for a perfectly seared tuna steak. And if you really want to use your kitchen torch, follow chef Hidekazu Kato's advice and make a tuna tataki instead. Because this dish is supposed to be almost raw on the inside, a torch is the perfect tool for it.