Tuna and Avocado Salsa Recipe

By
Kerry Saretsky
a photograph of Kerry Seretsky, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Kerry Saretsky

Kerry Saretsky interned at Serious Eats in 2008, and wrote the French in a Flash recipe column. She also writes her own blog on modernized French cuisine called French Revolution Food.

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Updated Apr. 24, 2019
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Kerry Saretsky

Tuna and avocado are a pretty handsome pair. Tuna-avocado rolls are a sushi staple. My mom used mashed avocado in her tuna salad instead of mayonnaise. And sliced avocado often shows up as a garnish on tuna burgers.

This dish was a huge hit: a kind of blurring of salsa and tartare. I rub a tuna steak in olive oil and smoky, spicy herbs, and char it just to get a little bit of the grilled flavor. Then I dice it up, along with diced avocado, tomato, jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro. A drenching of citrus juice, and a swig of olive oil, and it's ready to be scooped up on a corn chip. You can definitely serve this as an appetizer to share, but it also makes a phenomenal lunch.

Recipe Details

Tuna and Avocado Salsa Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • One 1/2- to 2/3-pound tuna steak

  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 Hass avocados, diced

  • 6 small or 4 large vine-ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

  • 1/2 to 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

  • 3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

  • Juice of 1 lime

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to the highest heat. Season all sides of the tuna with the spices and salt. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and rub the oil and spices all over the tuna. Sear on the grill 1 minute on each side. Set aside to rest.

  2. Dice or slice all the vegetables and herbs for the salsa and put them in a bowl. Add the lime juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season well with salt. Dice the seared tuna the same size as the avocado and tomatoes, and add. Taste the salsa; it should be well salted and a bit acidic. Add the juice of up to 1/2 lemon to achieve the desired acidity. Serve with a ton of tortilla chips.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
243 Calories
11g Fat
24g Carbs
17g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 243
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 261mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 7g 24%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 76mg 378%
Calcium 51mg 4%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 1082mg 23%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)