This lemon dijon sauce for tuna steaks is a simple but delicious recipe you can make in minutes. The meaty and tender tuna steaks are coated in cracked pepper and then topped with a creamy lemon sauce to create a delicious low carb dinner. This lean fish is a great substitute for a steak dinner and only takes 15 minutes. And it has 335 calories, 2.9 grams carbs and 36.9 grams protein!
You might also like this keto cod with creamy sun dried tomato sauce.
Over the years I’ve finally learned how to prepare fish and seafood and we eat it every so often. One thing I really love to eat is this lemon dijon sauce for tuna steaks. Fresh tuna steaks are so meaty and delicious it’s like eating a steak and the creamy sauce has so much flavor. It’s the perfect pairing.
Fresh tuna tastes much different from canned tuna. Especially when you sear it and leave the middle nice and pink. I love this recipe for a quick low carb dinner because it only takes about 15 minutes. This recipe makes 6 servings and each has just 335 calories, 2.9 grams carbs and 36.9 grams protein so it’s great for a low carb high protein weeknight meal too.
More low carb seafood recipes.
Recently I’ve made 3 more tuna steak recipes to the blog. Two had the bold flavors of a cilantro chimichurri sauce and a creamy sriracha sauce to eat as a dipping sauce with tuna steaks. And the other was a tuna steak salad with the Asian flavors of a ginger sesame dressing.
I also have over 45 keto seafood recipes. One of my most popular is an asiago tilapia recipe. I would eat this every week because it’s easy and very tasty.
I also have quite a few salmon, shrimp and other tilapia recipes. So if you are looking to increase your seafood intake I now have a lot of low carb recipes for you to try.
What fresh tuna steaks tastes like.
If you’ve never had fresh tuna you might be surprised that it is nothing like canned. The raw fish is a deep red color with a mild flavor. When it cooks, it turns from pink to tan. It’s a very meaty fish with a dense and firm texture much like beef. To learn more about fresh tuna click here.
I bought mine from Costco recently but most larger grocery stores carry it in the seafood section. I like my tuna steaks fresh better than frozen tuna this recipe but with the sauce it frozen would work too.
How to make cracked pepper seared tuna steaks.
If you wondered how to cook tuna steak, let me tell you it is very easy. I find that fresh cracked ground pepper is the best seasoning for both beef or tuna steaks in my opinion. You can skip that step if you don’t like pepper or even use steak seasoning on them
Step 1: Prepare the raw tuna by seasoning it heavily with fresh cracked pepper and sprinkle salt on both sides. I like to let the fish sit out for about 10 minutes to warm up before searing.
Step 2: Get out a skillet and heat to medium high heat. Sometimes I used a cast iron skillet but today I’m using a nonstick skillet. Once the skillet is hot add the olive oil and let it heat up.
Step 3: Place the tuna steaks in the hot pan and turn the heat down to medium Sear for 3-5 minutes. Try not to disturb them while they are searing.
Step 4: The meat will turn from pink to a gray brown once it’s cooked so when it has cooked ¼ of the way up from the pan you know it’s time to flip them over. Cook the other side for 3-5 minutes until that side has cooked ¼ of the way up from the pan.
Note mine were about 1 ½ inches thick and took 3 minutes per side.
Cooking time may differ depending on the thickness of your steaks. You want to have a rare strip in the middle. It will continue to cook when you take it out of the skillet.
Let it rest for a a few minutes while you make the lemon sauce for the tuna steaks.
How to make the lemon dijon sauce for tuna steaks.
While the tuna fillet is searing, make the easy lemon dijon sauce. The simple sauce ingredients are butter, heavy cream, broth, garlic cloves, dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
Step 1: Get out a small sauce pan and heat to medium heat. Add the butter once it has melted, add the crushed garlic, heavy cream, broth, dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.
Note you can use chicken, beef or vegetable broth or stock.
Step 2: Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for a few more minutes. You can make the mixture thicker by letting it simmer and condense bit longer or just serve it right away. It only takes a few minutes to make.
You can also make it thinner by adding a bit more cream or broth. When the tuna is done and has sat for a few minutes, you can serve them as a dipping sauce on the side or drizzled over the seared tuna.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.
Recipe tips and notes.
- I bought this fish at Costco and of course got these huge pieces. It was a lot for the 3 of us so know that this recipe makes has 6 servings.
- These steaks are dense and filling so you don’t need a big piece.
- The lemon dijon sauce is optional but I really think it adds to the dish. You could also add a bit of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce to make it thicker and richer. Or add a bit of cream cheese to thicken it up. I personally like it thinner.
- You can also try an herb butter on top.
- If you are not a black pepper fan, you can try some steak seasoning too and it will really taste like a steak!
Low carb side dishes to go with this recipe.
Some of my favorite keto side dishes for fish recipes like salmon or tilapia are:
- Mediterranean Brussels sprouts
- cheesy scalloped turnip stacks
- feta & zucchini
- sweet & spicy green beans.
You can also keep it simple with a buttered, steamed vegetable, cauliflower rice and a big green salad.
Sometimes I like to use leftover tuna steaks on a bed of green salad and use this sesame ginger dressing.
I hope you enjoy the bright flavor lemon dijon sauce for tuna steaks. I love the savory flavor of the creamy sauce with the meaty fish.
It’s a really quick and easy weeknight dinner but would also work for a special occasion like a dinner party. Plus it’s a low carb and high protein dinner for us which I appreciate.
The nutritional information for 1 serving is 335 calories:
11.7g fat / 3g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 36.9g protein = 2.9g net carbs
Lemon Dijon Cream Sauce for Tuna Steaks Recipe
This seared pepper tuna recipe is simple but elegant. Meaty and tender this fish taste even better with a lemon cream sauce for tuna steaks. Only 15 minutes to make this low carb high protein meal.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tuna steaks (6 servings)
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon dijon msutard
- ½ cup broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ lemon juiced (about 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice)
- zest of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Rub the crushed pepper on both sides of the tuna steaks. Then sprinkle with salt and both sides. Let sit out for 5-10 minutes to warm it up from the refrigerator.
- Preheat a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Then add the oil and let it heat up a bit.
- Place the steaks in the hot skillet and sear each side for about 3-5 minutes without disturbing them. The time may differ depending on how thick your steaks are. The meat will cook it's way up the steak from the bottom. So once it has cooked ¼ of the way up flip it to the other side.
- Then take it out of the pan when that side has cooked ¼ of the way up but keep a very rare center. Mine were 1 ½ inches thick and took 3 minutes on both sides. Take out the pan and set aside. They would still continue to cook a bit.
- Now get out a medium sauce pan and add the butter, cream, mustard, garlic, lemon juice and zest and broth.
- Whisk and bring to a simmer for a few minutes then take off the stove.
- Serve the sauce along side or over top steaks.
Notes
The nutritional information for 1 serving is: 335 cals / 11.7g fat / 3g carbs / .1g fiber / 36.9g protein = 2.9g net carbs
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335Net Carbohydrates: 2.9gg
MC says
Made this and it is delicious! I added a little parmesan cheese and made a corn starch slurry to thicken up the sauce. Will definitely be enjoying this meal again.
Denise says
Hi Michelle, so glad you liked it!
Janice Pfeiffer says
I’m on a KETO diet ….made this on my fifth day with a side of broccoli. Was yummy. The sauce was amazing.
Denise says
Great! So glad you liked it. I also made a similar sauce in this asparagus noodles recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment…I really appreciate it!
Low Carb Asparagus Noodles Recipe with Creamy Lemon Dijon Sauce
Janet says
Can you make the sauce ahead? I’m having it tonight!
Denise says
Hi Janet, I think it would be better to make it right before you serve it as it might separate with the acid from the lemon and the fats from the cream.
If you are talking about making it before you sear the tuna it would be fine. Just give it a good whisk. But I wouldn’t make it a day ahead of time or anything like that.
I hope you like it and good luck!
Debbie Moore says
Can we use 2% milk instead of cream?
Denise says
Hi Debbie, I don’t think it will work so well. If you are doing low carb or keto, 2% milk will have a bit of carbs. However I found this article that says you can substitute milk and butter for heavy cream. So you could probably do a little 2% milk and add more butter. I have never tried this but it might work. Good luck!
https://lifehacker.com/substitute-butter-and-milk-for-heavy-cream-5933953
Henry Prins says
I tried this and it had a wonderful taste. I was wondering if you’ve tried this with any other types of meat?
Denise says
Hi Henry,
I have not but I have made a similar sauce and ate it with asparagus noodles. https://mylifecookbook.com/low-carb-asparagus-noodles/
I imagine it would go well with steak or chicken though.
Mike says
How thick of tuna steak are we talking? 5 minutes on each side for rare is way too long!
Denise says
Hi Mike,
I think mine were a little more than an inch high? You can always do less.
Patricia says
Having this tonight let you know how I get on looks delicious
Denise says
Hi Patricia, I hope you like it!!!
Lucy Thompson says
The photo seems to show whole grain mustard rather than Dijon mustard – which should be used in the recipe please?
Denise says
Hi Lucy,
It is dijon. It looks grainy because of the garlic and zest, etc. I imagine you could use whole grain too but I used dijon. I hope you like it!
James Kraky says
Great sauce. Added 1T fresh grated Parmesan. Tightened up nicely and added another interesting layer of flavor. Be Careful the sauce doesn’t ‘break’ on you.
Denise says
Hi James, thanks for sharing and coming back to comment!
Bonnie says
I made your recipe for dinner. The sauce was, we felt bland. Like, there was something missing and needed. I added everything that’s suppose to be in sauce. I made sauces In the past but, I don’t know. Love your love blog.
Denise says
Hi Bonnie, sorry you didn’t like it. I just recently made a similar recipe with asparagus noodles (https://mylifecookbook.com/low-carb-asparagus-noodles/) anyway, I added parmesan cheese too. Maybe that would be something to try some time.
Liz says
Does anyone know “what kind of broth” all I see is add broth…
Denise says
Hi Liz, someone else asked that below. Sorry for the miscommunication. I used chicken but you could use beef or vegetable too. Any will work. Good luck and I hope you like it.
Ginger says
We want to try this recipe tonight! What type of broth are you referring to? Chicken, Beef, Vegetable? Does it matter?
Thanks!!
Denise says
I used chicken broth but you could use beef or vegetable if you wish. Good luck!
Lori says
The sauce is wonderful and when cooked down a little longer to get thicker it was even better. The recipe called for dijon mustard which provided that flavor only a dijon can,but a stone ground version of the dijon would have added a little extra to the sauce. I didn’t have any lemons for zest & juice, but a little bit of my preserved lemons chopped up fine was wonderful.
Denise says
Hi Lori, thanks for sharing your tips! I need to make this again.
Jacque says
I can’t wait to make this! I love the cream sauce and I bet it packs a ton of flavor. This recipe is perfect for this weekends date night in with the kids.
Jo says
Oh I got to tell that sauce looks killer!! Perfectly cooked tuna and ridiculously delicious sauce, what can be better than this! Yummm