Pair Your Tuna Steak With This Type Of Beer And Never Look Back

Enjoying a tuna steak is a great way to celebrate this glorious fish from the sea, and all it takes is some basic seasoning, high heat, and a few moments of cooking on each side before you dig in. If you're pairing your meal with a beer, however, you might wonder which type will work best, since the flavor of tuna is delicate and you don't want to steamroll it with the wrong brew. We spoke to Chris Cusack, owner of the restaurant, Betelgeuse Betelgeuse, in Houston, Texas, about which style of beer is best suited for a classic tuna steak.

"I'd say this very much depends on the preparation, but let's assume a good sear, light salt, and pepper seasoning, and a medium rare temperature," he said. "For this, I'm looking to amplify the light umami flavors with something like a kölsch or a pilsner. These are both crisp beers that will turn up the volume on a well-prepared tuna steak." Both top supermarket beers have a clear appearance with a pale color, and have a clean flavor (I enjoy either type during a hot summer night).

Tuna steaks in sandwich form are another story, however. "In the sandwich, we have many other elements: maltiness in the bread, presumably some fat, some acid, maybe a vegetable crunch," Chris Cusack said. He recommends a pale ale that's not too hoppy, such as a craft beer from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The flavor of the pale ale will cut through the fat while elevating the bold flavors of the tuna steak sandwich.

Even with delicate foods like tuna steak, wine isn't a must. Beer and tuna can be a great duo, even when you decide to go spicy with your seasonings. After flavoring your tuna steaks, Cusack suggests a beer like a Belgian witbier or a German hefeweizen (such as Weihenstephaner), both of which are wheat beers. He says the light citrus notes in both complement the rich flavors of the steak.