How To Cook Tuna Sous Vide For Awesome Results

It is often very difficult to cook the perfect tuna that is deliciously firm, and has a wonderful bite to it. With our best sous vide tuna recipe you can have just that. To ensure that the fish does not fall apart when cooked, it is best to soak it in brine beforehand.

This recipe will show you how to make the brine and cook your tuna perfectly.

Equipment

• Sous Vide Machine – our favorite right now is the Anova or the Joule.
• Container – not necessary, but nice to have for bigger cuts of meat. We recommend the Lipavi as it is large and sturdy. You can also use a pot.
• Vacuum sealer and bags, or a freezer Ziploc bag. If you only have a Ziploc make sure to check our our article on the water displacement method. You can find our favorite vacuum sealers here – 5 Best Sous Vide Vacuum Sealers (Reviews Updated 2021)

Sous Vide Tuna Cooking Times and Temperature

For the most delicious tuna it is recommended to go “sushi” style. You can cook your tuna very rare, and it will still be safe to eat and taste really good. Use these temperatures and cooking times as a guide:

Rare sushi style tuna – Cooking temperature 100°F (38°C) – Cooking time 20 minutes

Medium rare sushi style tuna – Cooking temperature 129°F (54°C) – Cooking time 30 minutes

Medium rare tuna – Cooking temperature 132°F (56°C) – Cooking time 30 minutes

Best Sous Vide Tuna Recipe

Now here’s what you all came for – the best sous vide tuna recipe you’ll ever have!

Ingredients

Remember that it is advisable to make the brine first and then soak the tuna in it. The sugar and salt in the brine will firm up the fish, so it doesn’t collapse after cooking.

• 2 pounds or about 800 grams of tuna (Albacore tuna is recommended)
• 1.5 pounds or 600 grams of salt
• 1.5 pounds or 600 grams of sugar
• Olive oil
• Lemon peel
• 12.5 pints or 6 liters of water for the brine

Directions

1. Create the brine by adding the sugar and salt to the water, and then whisking the mixture until it has fully dissolved. Create four pieces of tuna by cutting into 0.5 pound or 200 gram chunks.
2. Put the tuna pieces in the brine you have made, and let them stand for at least half an hour. Every 10 minutes or so it is a good idea to stir the brine so that the tuna pieces are turned over, and that all sides of the chunks receive an even coat of brine.
3. Once the 30 minutes is up, remove the chunks from the brine and dry them off with paper towels or parchment paper.
4. It is now time to cook your tuna sous vide. For this you will need the brined tuna chunks, the lemon peel and the olive oil.
5. Fill your water bath with water, and set the sous vide machine to heat the water to your desired temperature. Add the tuna chunks to zip lock or sous vide bags and add the oil and the lemon zest. Seal the sous vide bags with the best sous vide vacuum sealer or remove all the air from the zip lock bags and close them.
6. Once the water is at the desired temperature, you can lower the bags of tuna gently into the water bath. Set your timer for the desired cooking time.
7. After the cooking time has elapsed, remove the sous vide bags carefully from the water oven and serve hot. Alternatively you can cut the tuna into smaller pieces and chill them for serving cold.

Enjoy!