The ketogenic diet or keto diet as it’s more commonly known, is a low carbohydrate, high-fat diet that puts your body into a metabolic state, helping you burn fat faster. Your body will also transform fats into ketones in the liver, which supplies additional energy for the brain. The keto diet offers many health benefits, from helping you lose weight to improving your overall health.
Many people on a keto diet struggle with energy levels due to the removal of carbohydrates, and tuna steaks are of a huge benefit for anyone taking the keto diet due to tuna being a low-carb food that’s high in protein and fat. It’s also low fiber, meaning you may need to add some healthy vegetables to each meal.
Let’s look at some great tuna steak recipes that are nutritious and will keep you in check while on the keto diet. Don’t worry, they’re all so delicious you’ll forget you’re even on a diet!
Keto Tuna Steaks With Fresh Avocado Cucumber Salsa
This delicious recipe is perfect for the summer as it perfectly combines a fried tuna steak with the freshness from the avocado and cucumber salsa, along with a tangy lime and garlic dressing that’s bursting with flavor. It’s also a great meal for when you’re in a rush as preparation and cooking time is around 16 minutes in total.
This recipe is ideal for the keto diet as a single serving contains just 4.5 grams of carbs, 27.4 grams of protein, and 12.3 grams of fats and provides 240 calories. You’ll need a small frying pan and a bowl to make the salsa.
First, season an 8-ounce tuna steak on one side with some salt, pepper, onion powder, and a little parsley. Fry the steak on medium-low heat with a little olive oil until each side becomes slightly crispy. This should take around 4 minutes per side. Once done, set your tuna steaks aside and prepare the avocado and cucumber salsa.
Dice the avocado, some ripe cherry tomatoes, and thinly slice the cucumber, adding it to a bowl. Mix all of the ingredients together and add some salt, cilantro, lime juice, and crushed garlic.
To serve, place your crispy tuna steaks on a plate and load the avocado and cucumber salsa mix on top of the steaks.
Keto Jalapeno Lime Tuna Steaks
Add a little spice to your keto diet plan with this delicious and nutritious recipe. Keto Jalapeno and Lime Tuna Steaks is a great low-carb, high protein, and high-fat meal that’s full of flavor and packs a spicy punch. It’s easy to prepare and can be made in around 15 minutes and is sure to become a regular meal during your keto diet and beyond!
With just 2.8 grams of carbs and over 25 grams each of fat and protein in every serving, this recipe is ideal for those looking to break a sweat with a spicy dish while maintaining a keto diet. It also has a high-calorie count of 354 calories per serving meaning there’s no need to add much more to this delicious and hearty meal.
Using a food processor, add cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and some olive oil and give it a buzz until you get a loose, even mixture. If you don’t want too much spice, just halve the amount of jalapeno or deseed it first.
Next prepare the tuna steaks by sprinkling a little salt and pepper on the side facing up. Then spoon on some of the jalapeno mixture from the food processor.
Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and place on medium-high heat. Add the tuna steaks with the jalapeno mix on top and cook with a lid on the skillet for around 4-5 minutes or until the steak looks done. Put the cooked steaks on a plate and drizzle any leftover jalapeno mix on top and serve.
Keto Tuna Steak Dinner With Spinach And Mushrooms
This delicious recipe is perfect when you’re craving a full meal and is super easy to prepare, taking just over 20 minutes in total. This recipe can also be easily doubled and it will feed a family of 4, or halved if you’re looking for a quick and easy meal for one.
With just under 4 grams of carbs, 28.5 grams of protein, and 16.6 grams of fats per serving, this meal is perfect if you’re on the keto diet. It also provides 280 calories per serving and offers a delicious combination of a grilled tuna steak alongside buttery spinach and mushrooms.
To make this divine dish, season one side of a 4-ounce tuna steak with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and cook on medium heat until the seasoning begins to brown. This should take around 3-4 minutes per side. When you flip the steak, add a little soy and lime juice to the pan.
Next, remove the tuna steak from the pan and set it aside. Add a little more olive oil and add some chopped mushrooms, some salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger, and cook them on medium-low heat until the mushrooms begin to brown. Lower the heat and add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the mushrooms.
Add the butter and allow it to melt and absorb into the mushrooms before adding the spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt slightly and this should take around 2-3 minutes on a low heat setting. Serve by adding your tuna steak to a plate and loading up the mushroom and spinach mixture on top, then sit back and enjoy!
Blackened Tuna Bites With Cajun Mustard
This is another great recipe for those who love a little spice with their meal and the crispy blackened tuna bites pack a punch when paired with the tangy cajun mustard dressing. This recipe serves 6 and takes just 20 minutes to prepare and it’s perfect as an appetizer or can easily be served as a dinner. Either way, once you cook this, you’ll want it every day!
Make the cajun mustard dressing first by adding sour cream, mayonnaise, cajun spice, lemon juice, paprika, and some horseradish and mixing in a medium-sized saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil and stir regularly until the entire mixture is smooth. Once you’ve finished this step, set aside and prepare the tuna steak bites.
Use a 2 lb tuna steak (or around 6 ounces per person) and cut it into inch cubes. Add to a bowl with the redfish blackening seasoning until each cube of the steak is well covered.
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan until it is very hot but not smoking. Next, carefully add the tuna steak cubes and sear on all sides. This should take around 7-10 minutes.
It’s ok if the tuna bites are slightly pink in the middle as it’s best not to overcook them. Add them to a bowl and serve alongside the cajun mustard dressing. Yum!
Blackened Ahi Tuna with Spicy Avocado Crema And Quick Mexican Cauliflower Rice
This gem is one for more adventurous cooks who are looking to make a delicious and spicy meal. This dish takes a little longer to prepare (allow at least 30 minutes) but is well worth it. Using flavors from Mexico, it combines a blackened tuna steak with a spiced blend of Mexican cauliflower rice and a silky avocado sauce.
The outcome is utterly irresistible and this recipe is sure to become a staple while on your keto diet journey! As this recipe is really 3 recipes in total, you can experiment and remove any parts of the meal as you please. It’s ideal for keto diet plans as the Tuna steak has 160 calories, 0 grams of carbs, 28 grams protein, and just 4 grams fat per serving.
First, make the Mexican spice blend as mentioned in the recipe. It should take around 5 minutes to prepare.
Next, prepare the spicy avocado cream by adding all the ingredients listed in the recipe and giving them a good mix in a large bowl. This should take around 10 minutes to prepare in total.
To prepare the cauliflower rice, first, heat the steam-fresh riced cauliflower in a microwave. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat, and add a little olive oil. Add the rice and cauliflower mix, tomato sauce, and the spice mix you would have prepared earlier and stir occasionally, cooking for around 3 minutes or until all the ingredients are mixed well.
The final step is to prepare the tuna steaks by rubbing the Mexican spice blend into both sides of the steak. Meanwhile, heat some oil in a skillet on high heat, and when very hot, sear each tuna steak for 1.5 minutes per side. Once cooked, you’re ready to serve!
Spicy Tuna Sushi Bowl
One for the sushi or Poké bowl lovers out there, this fantastic recipe is a no-fuss, riceless alternative to sushi and is ideal for those on the keto diet. It’s also one of the fastest recipes to make, taking just 15 minutes to prepare. Best of all, there’s no cooking or frying involved and you’ve got a meal for 4 people in no time at all!
With 355 calories per serving, this meal is substantial and provides you with 8 grams of carbs, 24 grams of fat, and 28 grams of protein with every serving.
You’ll need to use a good-grade tuna steak, and be sure to ask your local store or fishmonger for the freshest steak available. To get this show on the road, start by dicing the steak into small cubes around ½ inch and add to a large bowl. Next dice a large avocado, cucumber, and some red onion then add them to the bowl.
In a separate bowl, make the dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise, sriracha, lemon juice, and salt. Once the mixture is smooth, add it to the diced tuna and vegetables and give all of the ingredients a good stir.
Finally, distribute the mixture into 6 bowls for serving. To garnish, cut some thick strips of the nori and add some sesame seeds on top. And that’s it, you’ve got a delicious and healthy high protein, high-fat, and low carb meal ready in mere minutes!
Grilled Citrus Tuna Steak With Avocado And Spinach
Summoning the flavors of the Mediterranean with this zesty meal, you’ll love how fresh and light it feels and tastes. Grilled citrus tuna steak with avocado and spinach is a flavorsome and easy-to-make recipe that’s a perfect weekend dinner option for those on the keto diet or if you have time to plan ahead midweek.
It combines a delicious zest of lime and cilantro marinade with soft creamy avocado and the irresistible taste of a tuna steak fried to perfection. A match made in heaven!
First, lightly season the tuna steak on both sides with a little salt and pepper. In a small bowl add the ingredients to make the marinade and give them a good mix together. Add the tuna steak to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Once the tuna steaks have marinated, heat a little oil in a skillet and get the skillet very hot. Take the tuna steaks from the marinade and add them to the skillet, cooking them for 2 minutes on each side. Your steaks should be cooked medium, so they’ll be a little pink in the middle.
Pour any remaining marinade into a small saucepan and reduce it down until it becomes thick. This should take around 2 minutes. In the large skillet, lightly wilt some spinach and add a splash of soy sauce and a little more lime juice.
To serve, create a bed of wilted spinach with a little juice from the soy and lime. Place your cooked tuna steak on the bed, and then add the thickened marinade on top and garnish with some sliced avocado.
Sesame Crusted Tuna
This is one of the quickest and easiest keto tuna steak recipes on my list. The best thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to marinate the tuna for hours in order for the flavors to soak into the meat.
Tuna can be eaten raw or rare, which is what makes it so special. You can tweak the cooking times in the recipe to get the perfect cook on your tuns steak. If you want to learn how to make rare tuna, follow the instructions in this recipe.
Tuna Steak With Low-Carb Wasabi Sauce
Tuna and wasabi are a match made in heaven; when in doubt, get the wasabi out! Wasabi sauce is usually high in carbohydrates, and therefore not suitable for low-carb keto and gluten-free diets. This recipe shows you how to make an easy wasabi sauce that is ideal on keto and how to cook the pepper-crusted tuna steak beautifully.
I like this recipe because you don’t need to marinate the tuna beforehand. A bit of simple seasoning and a tangy sauce is more than enough flavor and oh-so appetizing.
Keto Tuna Steak With Fresh Avocado Cucumber Salsa
Avocado is a vegetable that has a high-fat content, and most diets advise you to eat very little of it. What is great about keto is that you can have a nice hearty portion of avocado with your meal and still be in line with the rules and guidelines of the diet.
When I’m craving some avocado and want to incorporate it into my meal, this is my go-to recipe. The tuna in this recipe tastes particularly meaty and crisp. The zesty lime, avocado, and cucumber salsa keep the meal fresh and balanced.
You can enjoy this dish as a meal in itself or pair it with your favorite keto-friendly side. From start to finish, this dish takes no longer than 16 minutes to get onto your dinner plate, so you can’t get much better than that!
Keto Grilled Tuna Salad
Tuna and eggs are often served together in restaurants, so why not elevate the classic Nicoise salad and make it at home using tuna steak and fresh eggs? Alternating between the types of eggs you use every time you make it is fun, so one time you can use classic chicken eggs, and next time make the dish using duck eggs instead.
I love this salad the most because it is crispy, full of seeds, and made up of a mixture of cooked and uncooked vegetables. This should be one of your holy grail dishes on keto, and once you give it a go, you will understand why!
Keto Seared Tuna Steak
This certainly is a restaurant-quality tuna dish. Seared tuna steak sounds a lot harder to make than it actually is. Maybe it’s because you only ever find it on the swankiest restaurant menus, or maybe it is because getting the perfect cook on the meat sounds overwhelming. Either way, this recipe will make you reconsider everything you thought about making seared tuna steak at home.
It uses just a handful of ingredients, which makes it a super stripped back and clean meal, and better yet, it only takes about five or six minutes to cook. Save this dish for when you come across some very high-quality, fresh tuna steaks at your local market as the flavors are super stripped back and honor the tuna’s natural taste.
Keto Tuna Salad
Ok, so as you can see, this recipe isn’t for tuna steak, but you can make it using tuna steak. Swapping out the tinned tuna for freshly baked shredded tuna steak will make the salad taste even better.
Simply bake the tuna steak in the oven on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, and shred it into a bowl. This tuna mayo recipe is perfect for if you want something light to eat on low-carb rice cakes or crackers. It is also the ideal dish to take with you to work.
Low-Carb Pepper Tuna With Lemon and Dijon Cream Sauce
Dijon mustard and lemon are two ingredients that really enhance the flavors in tuna. This is a great tuna dish to make for friends and family as it sure does look fancy and hard to make, but it is quite the opposite. The best thing about this tuna steak recipe is that it doesn’t taste like a low-carb meal, nor does it feel like a diet dish, which makes it perfect for hosting guests.
Air Fried Keto Ginger Tuna Steak
This air-fried ginger tuna steak recipe is traditionally made using yellow-fin tuna. This recipe calls for fresh tuna steak, so if you have frozen steak that you want to use up, make sure you leave it out of the fridge for a few hours before making this dish.
Why is Fish Good on Keto?
Fish and shellfish are staple keto ingredients, but why are they recommended on keto? Here are some of the main reasons incorporating fish into your keto weekly meal plans is a good idea.
Full of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
What better way to get your dose of omega-3 in than getting it from eating fish? Omega-3 has been scientifically proven to prevent strokes, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.
Rich Source of Minerals
Minerals help your body grow and keeps it strong and healthy. Minerals are important for many things, from keeping your bones strong to helping your nerves work correctly.
Great Source of Protein
Protein is incredibly important on a keto diet, and fish are full of protein and very few carbohydrates. Shellfish do have a higher carb content than fish such as salmon and tuna, so you will need to keep shellfish to a minimum.
What Sides Go Well With Tuna on the Keto Diet
It is all well and good to get the protein aspect of your meal spot on, but if you don’t pair it with the right side dish, it can become a non-keto dish very quickly and take you out of ketosis. If you are wondering what you can serve with tuna, you will like the sound of the following sides. What tuna dish would you pair each side with?
Fresh Green Salad Leaves
Fresh, crisp iceberg lettuce and balsamic vinegar are sometimes all you need to finish off your meal. This is particularly welcome if you have made tuna that is full of flavor and marinated in a rich sauce.
Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice, tuna, and sweetcorn are delicious together. This dish can be reheated too, which is great if you have leftovers that need to be eaten. Instead of reheating it in the microwave, try giving it a quick fry in a pan and turn your leftover tuna and cauliflower rice into tuna and cauliflower fried rice.
Steamed Spinach
Steamed spinach drizzled in lemon juice and sprinkled with table salt is one of my favorite sides with tuna steak. It is quick, easy, and you can eat as much of it as you like! Spinach is also a great source of iron which is essential for keeping your energy levels up.
Broccoli and Pea Salad
Uncooked fresh broccoli heads and peas with finely chopped red onion can be paired with Asian-style tuna or rare tuna steak. The great thing is that you can make a big bowl of this side, and it will stay fresh and edible in your refrigerator for up to three days.
Garlic Butter Mushrooms
All you need is crushed garlic, butter, and your favorite mushrooms. Serve the mushrooms a little undercooked with tuna. The extra bite that undercooked mushrooms have complements the softness of tuna steak beautifully.
Zucchini Noodles and Chili Flakes
Zucchini noodles are famous for being a filling diet side dish. They don’t take long to cook and taste great with a simple seasoning of dried chili flakes, salt and, pepper.
Kale and Smashed Cucumber Salad
Kale can be eaten fresh or cooked. Oven-baked kale drizzled with olive oil is particularly nice with cucumber and lemon juice. What tuna recipe would you serve this side with?
Roasted Cabbage
If you haven’t yet tried roasted cabbage, then you are seriously missing out. Chop up the cabbage into thick chunks and bake them in the oven for 10 minutes or so and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. This side goes well with most keto sides, but tuna is a great protein to have with roasted cabbage.
Suitable Keto Fish Swaps for Tuna
If you like the sound of the tuna steak recipes above, but you want to mix it up a bit and use a tuna substitute, then it is important to choose an appropriate fish. Here are two brilliant substitutes for tuna steak that will taste wonderful in all of the recipes above.
Swordfish
Swordfish is a very sweet fish with dense meat much like tuna. You can grill it, barbecue it, or even eat it raw, which is why it slots in perfectly with the recipes featured in this article.
Salmon Steak
Salmon has a very distinct flavor and texture. It is one of the most highly consumed fish in the world purely because of its versatility. Salmon steak can be eaten raw, seared, baked, or smoked.
Just like tuna, salmon is also often eaten raw or cooked in sushi and other Asian dishes.
FAQ
Do you want to learn more about tuna steak, fish, and general keto information? These are some of the frequently asked questions that keto dieters and fish fans ask. I hope that the following section clears up all of your queries.
Q: Is tuna ok to eat on a keto diet?
A: Yes, Tuna is a brilliant fish to eat on keto because it is very low in carbohydrates and high in protein and essential vitamins and minerals. Tuna is also very versatile, so you can make incorporate it into most recipes, and it will taste great.
Q: Is canned tuna healthy?
A: Yes, canned tuna is absolutely fine to eat, and it is still considered healthy, even though it will last for many years in your pantry.
Q: Is eating tuna with mayonnaise good on keto?
A: If you make the mayonnaise from scratch, then it is perfectly fine to eat on the keto. You must make sure that the sauces and dressings you choose to use on your food are low in carbohydrates.
Q: What fish is keto-friendly?
A: Most fish species and shellfish are keto-friendly. The most important thing to avoid is food with a high carbohydrate content. Some shellfish are rather high on carbohydrates, so make sure you keep these to a minimum when planning your meals for the week.
Q: What food should I avoid on keto?
A: You should stay away from rice, oatmeal, wholegrain food, barley, and corn if you are on the keto diet. These are all foods with high carbohydrate content, and therefore will interfere with kicking your body into ketosis.
Q: Can I eat fried fish on keto?
A: Yes, you can fry fish, but you need to be careful with the breading or batter you choose to cover your fish. Frying fish in an air fryer is a great way to make fried fish in a way that allows you to skip on the batter and the breading.
Q: Can you eat cheese on keto?
A: All types of cheese are allowed on keto. You should still keep your cheese consumption to a minimum, as eating too much fat will cause you to go over your calorie intake for the day and slow down weight loss.
Q: What is ‘dirty keto’?
A: There are lots of variations of the keto diet, and dirty keto is one of them—dirty keto refers to keeping your carbohydrate intake to lower than 20 grams per day. Traditionally, the keto diet promotes keeping your carb intake to lower than 50 grams per day.
Q: Do you gain the weight that you lost back after keto?
A: Most people do gain back a few pounds or even kilos once they finish the keto diet. This is bound to happen as your body goes into shock when you introduce carbohydrates back into your diet. As long as you follow a reintroduction plan and introduce carbohydrates slowly and sensibly back into your diet, you shouldn’t gain a lot of weight back.
Q: Can you stay on the keto diet forever?
A: Keto isn’t designed to be a lifestyle and should be done in short spurs to kick your body into ketosis and fast weight loss. Going on the keto diet for a short period of time a couple of times every year will help you maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if you need to as long as you follow a professional plan.
Q: How much weight can you lose in a month on keto?
A: The amount you lose in a month highly depends on your start weight. Overweight keto dieters will lose weight faster than slimmer keto dieters as they have more fat to lose. On average, most keto dieters lose about 10 pounds in their first month on keto.
Q: Can I drink wine on keto?
A: No, you should not drink wine on keto as it is incredibly high in carbohydrates and calories. The keto diet promotes drinking at least two liters of water every day and keeping fizzy drinks and juices out of your diet.
Q: Should I exercise on the keto diet?
A: Exercise is important regardless of the diet you are doing. Moving your body and participating in sport is beneficial for a number of health reasons and is all-around something that should be incorporated into your daily life. Even going on a half-hour walk every day will benefit you in the long run.
Conclusion
So there you have it, plenty of keto-friendly tuna steak recipes that are not only super tasty and loaded with protein, fats, and are highly nutritious, but they’ll also maintain your dieting goals while you progress through the keto diet.
As an added bonus, most of these dishes can be made quickly and with little kitchen equipment so they’re perfect for anyone. Enjoy and we think you’ll be making these recipes long after your diet has ended!
