Flash Grilled Wasabi Tuna with Crispy Ginger Soy Tofu
🌿🔥 Different Plates. Same Table.
🍣 Meat: Grilled sushi-grade tuna
🥒 Vegetarian: Crispy ginger-soy tofu
🌾 Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: Rice with greens, cucumber, avocado, and your choice of protein
Growing up on the Jersey Shore, I spent every summer surrounded by seafood—even though I've been a vegetarian my entire life. I worked at our family friend's restaurant . And for one summer, I worked at my Uncle Rick's seafood takeout place in North Wildwood — butterflying shrimp and cracking open clams all day long. One summer was enough!! So, I was always around seafood. The smell of it, the smells of it cooking, the way the locals talked about it.
Even to this day the smell of Old Bay instantly takes me back to those summers. The heat, the salt air, the chaos of a busy seafood kitchen on the Jersey Shore. Some smells just live in you forever.
Even as a lifelong vegetarian who has never tasted a single piece of seafood, I grew up with such a deep respect and appreciation for it. I knew how to handle it, how to prepare it, how to tell when it was fresh. The Jersey Shore taught me that.
Fast forward to today — living on the shores of New Hampshire where we are so lucky to have access to incredible fresh seafood and amazing local fish markets. Sushi grade tuna is always on my list. It’s also my family’s favorite fish!
From peeling shrimp in North Wildwood to grilling sushi grade tuna on the shores of New Hampshire. Life is funny like that.
Just coat the tuna generously on both sides with wasabi fish seasoning and let the grill do the rest. While the grill is heating up, the crispy Asian marinated tofu is air frying away, the cucumber slices are soaking in rice vinegar and salt in their little bowl, and the Makoto carrot ginger dressing is sitting on the side ready to go.
The tofu gets my go to Asian marinade — rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and ginger — boiled first so it soaks up every last bit of that flavor then air fried until golden and crispy. It is the perfect vegetarian protein alongside such an elegant piece of fish. And the rice, salad and cucumbers bring the whole plate together in the most beautiful and unexpected way.
INGREDIENTS: SERVES 3
Protein:
2 sushi-grade tuna steaks
1 block extra firm tofu
Tuna seasoning:
2 tbsp wasabi fish seasoning (or similar)
2 tbsp olive oil
Tofu marinade:
5 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp GF soy sauce
3 garlic cubes (Trader Joe’s frozen)
4 ginger cubes (Trader Joe’s frozen)
Sides:
2 cups rice
1 bag mixed salad greens
1 bottle carrot ginger dressing
1 ripe avocado, sliced
5 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
Dash of salt
STEPS
Step 1: Fire up the grill
Before anything else fire up the outdoor grill. You want it screaming hot for the tuna — a hot grill means a perfect sear and a beautiful pink centre.
Step 2: Prepare the tofu
Prepare the tofu by tearing into rough pieces. Add the tofu into boiling salted water for 10 minutes. This way the tofu actually soaks up all that gorgeous marinade!
Step 3: Marinate the tofu
Drain and gently press the tofu on a plate lined with paper towels for a minute or two. Mix rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, GF soy sauce, garlic, and ginger in a container or bag. Add tofu and marinate (30 minutes minimum, overnight if possible).
Step 4: Make the Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Slice and toss cucumbers with rice vinegar and salt for a fresh, tangy crunch.
Step 5: Cook your rice
Get your rice going: Cook your rice according to packet instructions. Check the packet on instant rice if needed to make sure it is gluten free.
Step 6: Crisp the Tofu
Remove the tofu from the marinade and place in the air fryer in a single layer. Air fry at 400°F for 18 minutes shaking halfway through until golden and crispy.
Step 7: Sear the Tuna
Pat the tuna steaks dry, add the olive oil and coat generously on both sides with the wasabi fish seasoning. Place on the screaming hot grill and cook for exactly 1 minute each side. That's it! Sushi-grade tuna is best served beautifully pink in the center. Remove immediately and let rest for 2 minutes before plating.
Step 8: Plating
Add the mixed greens to a large bowl and toss with carrot ginger dressing.
Scoop rice onto each plate. Top meat plates with grilled tuna and vegetarian plates with crispy tofu. Add avocado, cucumbers and extra dressing to taste.
One base meal, two proteins, and three completely different plates — this is exactly how I love cooking for a mixed-diet household.
HELPFUL TIPS:
This recipe serves 3-4 but scales up easily — just multiply everything and the table grows with you!
Ginger- 1 cube = 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 cube = 1 cloveNo air fryer? Bake the tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 425°F for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy.
Sushi grade tuna is essential here —it makes all the difference!!
One minute each side is all you need — any longer and you lose that beautiful pink centre that makes sushi grade tuna so special
The cucumber in rice vinegar is such a simple and elegant side — make it first so it has time to marinate while everything else cooks
The boiling technique for the tofu is the secret to maximum flavor absorption — don't skip it!! For the best flavor, marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is even better.
A little soy sauce and seaweed snacks to round it all out!