This delicious and simple dish will make your dinner guests think you're a true gourmet chef! It works great with fresh or frozen fish.
A few tips for those of you struggling with the recipe: 1. While the directions were written for Tuna, it does work well with other fish but the cook time must be adjusted accordingly for the type of fish you are using and the thickness. For salmon I would recommend ditching the garlic -lime marinade, it really is specific to tuna or a similar fish. 2. For those struggling with the heat there are three things: - The recipe is designed to be eaten bite for bite with the mango salsa recipe included, if you serve it without it you'll likely need to adjust the heat level by dropping the cayenne. - For those who just aren't into the heat, you can simply reduce the amount of cayenne, by half is about appropriate. - A nice alternative I've found to the mango salsa is sour cream (about 2tbsp per serving) mixed with a bit of sugar (about 1tsp per 2tbsp of sour cream). This can be served in a ramekin or drizzled over the fish, whatever your heart desires! Hope this allays some of the issues people have had! :)
Read MoreTasty, but WAY too spicy. I love, love, love spicy but I've made this 2x...the 2nd time I cut the paprika and pepper in 1/2...just insanely too hot.
Read MoreA few tips for those of you struggling with the recipe: 1. While the directions were written for Tuna, it does work well with other fish but the cook time must be adjusted accordingly for the type of fish you are using and the thickness. For salmon I would recommend ditching the garlic -lime marinade, it really is specific to tuna or a similar fish. 2. For those struggling with the heat there are three things: - The recipe is designed to be eaten bite for bite with the mango salsa recipe included, if you serve it without it you'll likely need to adjust the heat level by dropping the cayenne. - For those who just aren't into the heat, you can simply reduce the amount of cayenne, by half is about appropriate. - A nice alternative I've found to the mango salsa is sour cream (about 2tbsp per serving) mixed with a bit of sugar (about 1tsp per 2tbsp of sour cream). This can be served in a ramekin or drizzled over the fish, whatever your heart desires! Hope this allays some of the issues people have had! :)
WOW! I've been wanting to make Ahi tuna and came across this recipe. I can't believe how good this was! My husband said it was better than some of the ahi tuna we've had in restaurants! I did make just a couple of changes: 1-I added avocado to the mango salsa. Just thought it would taste good. It did! 2-After marinating the tuna, I only seasoned it with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. 3-I coated the tuna steaks with black and white sesame seeds. 4-I like my tuna very rare, so I only cooked each side until it was opaque in color. But when you sliced the fish, the bright red color showed thru. This is a fantastic recipe. Thanks so much!
This is on the spicy side. It is excellent. We had a dinner party half of the group did not like spicy so when I made the rub I used only 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper and I had to double up on the other dry rub ingredients. I also made to separate Mango Salsa one with jalapeño the other without. The result the non spicy people enjoyed except for one. I will definitely make this again.
I have to preface my review by revealing that I didn't do this with tuna. Tuna is best served rare to medium-rare and I don't/can't do "raw," plain and simple. So I used tilapia, which is perfect for blackening because the filets are so thin. (Truth be told, however, I'm not crazy about tilapia either - it tastes muddy to me, like a bottom feeder) Mango salsa is relatively new to me - I have never liked sweet mixed with savory. But I'm liking it lately, and this salsa, this dish, was simply first rate. I used my own blackening seasoning, one that is tried and true for me, important since blackening/Cajun seasonings can vary so much. I made no changes to the salsa and it was perfect - as good as I've had at any fine seafood restaurant in SW Florida. I am finding, however, that the jalapenos from my garden have a LOT more heat in them than those I buy at the grocery store so beware if you use homegrown! I served this with "Cilantro-Lime Rice," also from this site, and they belonged together. This was a beautiful and delicious dish, nice for the two of us, but certainly company worthy as well. Nicely done!
Holy Moly. This is awesome!! I didn`t have all the ingrediants, but still made it work. I had no limes, subbed for Nakeds Mango drink. It worked out awesome! Had no mangoes, subbed those for mandarin oranges and strawberries in the salad. It would work well with pineapple and coconut shreds as well. Delish. I made the marinade and spice mix as directed (1/2 salt). I also halved the oil to make it thick like a blackened fish. I was making this for two steaks ;P Hubby is from India and loves spice. For the kids and I, I used the sour cream idea. But, made it like a raita with tomatoes and onions plus the sugar. It took away the heat. On the side I served a salad with a mango vinegrette, madarin oranges and feta cheese. AWESOME!
Tasty, but WAY too spicy. I love, love, love spicy but I've made this 2x...the 2nd time I cut the paprika and pepper in 1/2...just insanely too hot.
My fiance requested that I make tuna steaks, and I was a little nervous about it because the steaks were so thick. It came out great, though! I mixed the marinade together, placed the tuna steaks in a storage container, poured the marinade over the tuna steaks, and placed it in the refrigerator for less than an hour. The salsa was easy to put together. When it came time to blacken the tuna steaks, I soaked them in the spice mixture and then cooked them on each side for about six minutes on each side. There was still a nice pink in the middle. This recipe is a winner!
My family loves fresh tuna but we don't get it very often. This was a very tasty way to prepare fresh tuna. The salsa was zippy and went well with the tuna. The whole family really enjoyed this. Make sure to use a flipper to flip your fish in the pan rather than tongs so it doesn't fall apart. Thanks for a great recipe!
Excellent! Next time I would reduce the amount of all the spices as I had a lot left over and they are expensive to buy. I will also reduce the amount of onion in the salsa and use 1/3 of an onion and 1/2 of the jalapeno. I didn't have a mango so I used some peach mango salsa and it was fantastic that way. Thanks for a great fish recipe!
I love this recipe! After it went over so well the first time, I started using this blackening spice mixture on everything from shrimp, to chicken, to swordfish steaks. I mixed up all the spices and keep in my cabinet so it is handy!
As IF this recipe needs another 5 star review!!! LOL! This is a fabulous recipe. The tuna marinade is what sets this apart from other fish/salsa style dishes. Most recipes never recommend a marinade for fish- a rub, yes but not a marinade. This made the difference for me and I marinated for 3 hours. For other reviewers who complained about too much of something-- use less of it?. Also, OBVIOUSLY cook the tuna the way YOU like it cooked. The chef who made mine tonight (ME) used way too much jalapeno. But heck that is my fault. This recipe ROCKS! My hubby LOVED the blackened, this WILL be my new seasoning for blackened always. I served this with a citrus scented quinoa. YUM! Thank you for this recipe.
My husband said this is one of the top 3 meals that I have ever made him. The salsa is delicious and I served it with an asparagus recipe from this site that has butter, soy and balsamic dressing on it.
Tastes great on the grill!!!!! If you do decide to grill, take the1 1/2 tsp olive oil that should go in the pan and mix into the dry rub-it will spread over the fish and stick to it better. This is one of my favorite recipes ever!
The salsa is fabulous and the seasoning is pretty hot, but a winner in our household! Will definitely make again.
The mango salsa was fantastic with the spicy tuna. My husband (the picky eater) loved it, said it was a restaurant-quality "gourmet" dinner. Can't wait to make again. I only made 2 tuna steaks, but kept the full recipe amount for the salsa and we ate every bit of it!!
Great recipe! I made this for a family picnic, and it was a huge hit! We made them on the grill, and they turned out great. Thanks for a great recipe.
My husband said this is the best dinner I have ever cooked! I added avocado to my salsa as one other viewer suggested and thought it was a great addition.
I used half the cayenne as we are not "high heat" lovers. We really enjoyed this recipe and will make it again and again. Thank you for sharing it.
best ever. I have been using this spice reciepe on many things, did it it tuna, Chicken breast and even hamburgers & T-bones. Thank you soooooo much. I love it & so does my Husband & brother.
Very easy and very good, even my wife who hates fish said she enjoyed this, "it didn't taste fishy." I used three frozen 6 oz. Mahi Mahi steaks and instead of making the mango salsa I used a jar of peach salsa. I halved the cayenne and could only barely taste it so those who want the fish to have a little kick may want to go 3/4 or the full tablespoon of cayenne. I also have at least my rub left over. Cooking time guidance was right on.
This recipes was perfect! I had never cooked tuna steaks before, and had never blackened anything before. This was such an easy recipe, as long as you allow for 3 hrs marinating time. My husband and I both loved it and I can't wait to make it again. I made it just the way the recipe calls for, except i didn't have onion powder, so i just used a little extra garlic powder. I also used frozen tuna steaks, which I was a bit skeptical about-but it turned out fabulous!!
Absolutely outstanding. It made my fiance, an avid non-lover of seafood, a fan. Excellent combination of spices. The salsa was also outstanding; I added a tiny bit of salt to bring out the flavor of the mango. All in all, one of the best recipes I have gotten off this site. :)
Huge hit. Omitted the jalepeno pepper as I can't stand hot things. My 4yr old kept asking for more.
This was delicious. I personally would have liked the mango salsa to be a bit more mango-y and a little less cilantro-y, which I will do next time. Personally, I might have given it four stars, but I'm going with five because my husband said it was one of the most delicious meals he's ever had, which is definitely saying something for him! I loved the marinade and the blackened seasoning. Very nice and easy presentation, too!
Ok, had to rate this recipe when my husband told me this was the best meal I had ever made for him(we've been married 20 years) Then I almost fell in the floor when my 3 incredibly picky children ate every bite and asked for more. It was delicious and nutritious!
i followed the recipes as is and it was really good. i really liked the mango salsa with it. would make it again.
Amazing! This is the best thing I have ever done to fish. Even just the marinade would be perfect for a less spicy dish.
Made this for Hubby's birthday dinner - it was fabulous - everyone was blown away by by the presentation (so colorful) but more so by the incredible flavors - lime, cilantro, mango YUM! The only reason I don't make this more often is concern over mercury in Tuna : (
The rub is fantastic! My husband loves off-the-scale hot food and actually didn't add pepper flakes to this dish! He said it was perfect. I can handle pretty hot food, but this was a bit too close to my limit. I will probably cut down on the cayenne a little next time and let my husband add some pepper flakes to his! The salsa is wonderful!! The mango/cilantro combined with the rub was a very happy marriage. My only critique (and the reason I am giving this four stars) is that I found 3 mins on each side was far too long to cook the (2 inch) tuna steaks. The resulting steak was grey and dry with only a hint of pale pink in the centre. It was my first time cooking Ahi Tuna, so I followed the recommended time closely. Next time I will cut the cooking time down significantly. The rub blackened properly way before the 3 mins, so the shorter cooking time wouldn't affect the great blackened appearance/taste. I will be making this again, and would use this rub and the salsa for other dishes. Both would be great with chicken and shrimp too. Thanks for a great recipe!
I would give it more stars if i could. It was AWESOME with the mango sauce. LOVED IT!!!!
I cheated I used a bottle of apricot Mango chipotle. Did everything else the same. Lot's less work and expense for me. I sliced some fresh avacados coz there in season. Was a fancy looking dish and looked like I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Healthy too!!
We reduced the heat, and made a few other alterations to the spices. We always add sugar to our rubs. With our rub recipe I would give it 5 stars. With the heat, I would have never been able to eat it. We left it just a bit raw in the center. It was amazing! I could not believe that all of our children loved it. We also love the yogurt topping from a fish taco recipe by Breese823. The combination of the Mango Salsa and the Yogurt Sauce is to be savored! We tried this recipe with Black-tip shark and it was too salty; the only changed we made was reducing the cayenne to 1/2 tsp.
OMG:) Worlds greatest recipe, you dont have to change a thing, perfect as written!! Super easie to make and so amazing people will think you are a chef!
My friend and I just got back from San Diego with our fresh catch of Yellow Fin Tuna. I was eager to try a new recipe. I made this tonight for my wife and I. It was unbelievable. If you want your wife to stop talking this is not the recipe to use. Five Stars
I just bought mango salsa, wasn't in the mood to make it but the recipe came together very well, I was impressed.
We usually go a little lighter on the blackening spices for less heat. But pretty much a regular dish in our house now! Amazing!
The salsa really makes this dish wonderful! I am allergic to mangoes so I used pineapple instead and it was great! Hubby loved it too - said 'make this again!' And I will.
I made this recipe for a group of 5 friends. It turned out INCREDIBLE!!! You really can't go wrong with this recipe. It is the perfect balance of flavors, spicy and sweet. The tuna can be cooked very rare or well done (cook at hotter temp and shorter time for very rare and blackened/crisp outside!). Delicious, I plan to share this recipe with many friends!
Made this for family. It turned out excellent. I also cut the cayenne by 1/2 but left everything else. Will use this recipe again. Served with cilantro lime rice.
This was very good. I followed the spice recipe exact and it was spicy but delicious. Instead of the mango salsa I made a garlic aoli from this site and it also went great with the tuna. Next time I make this I will definitely cut the cayanne in half though. But the flavors are great.
This was great! I did 1/2 the cayenne pepper, and broiled the fish rather than pan-frying it, but other than that followed the recipe to a T. I have also done it (on a separate occasion) with ilapia because the store didn't have any good tuna and it was delicious as well! Big crowd pleaser!
Great presentation and terrific tasting dish. I had a mango but it turned out to be texturally challenged so I subbed a nice nectarine. Delish!
This blackened/cajun spice mixture is delicious and goes with nearly every kind of meat and fish. I use it a lot on grilled chicken and it's amazing. I have never made the mango salsa before but I imagine it's excellent as well. I keep a small container of this spice mixture on hand at all times because I use it so often. I like to use 1 Tbsp Chili Powder and 1 Tbsp Paprika instead of 2 Tbsp Paprika.
So Very Good, I didn't marinade I just dry rubbed it without the oil and it turned out great anyways.
Phenomenal, restaurant quality dish. For the salsa, I used a couple tablespoons red onion in place of the green and white onion and added half an avocado (would highly recommend!). We only seared the tuna for about 2 - 2 1/2 minutes per side.
This an AMAZING tasting and EASY recipe! Great for the summer time and goes well with just a neutral white rice to help absorb some of the heat.
This was delicious! The only change I made was 1/2 the cayenne and 1/2 the jalapeno. It was still spicy. My husband said it was one of the best meals I ever made and that's huge compliment from him. I'll be making this one often.
This was wonderful. I did change the recipe a bit so that it wouldn't be too spicy. I used half of a jalapeno, and I used ancho chili powder instead of cayenne pepper. The kids were a raving fan and loved it, too.
My wife usually does not like spicy dishes, but she was all about this one.
WOW! This recipe is amazing! The fish is so full of flavour, and its spiciness is very well-balanced by the fresh mango salsa - not to mention that it is easy, and presentation rocks! We had it with "white and wild rice pilaf" from this site also. Thank you for a definite keeper!
My husband and I loved this recipe! When I make this again I will probably use less red pepper for myself, but my husband loved the heat of this recipe.
Loved this! I've been making it for 2 years and have made several quality/speed enhancements: 1) Much better with sushi grade ahi or yellow tail if you can splurge. (available at many Japanese/Chinese grocers) 2) Love with avocado added to the mango salsa 3) Easier if you buy pre-mixed spices for the blackening (e.g., Mrs Dash's Southwest Chipolte) 4) Nice with flour tortillas for fish tacos as alternative to rice Enjoy!
I made this recipe with only 2 changes. I omitted the bell pepper in the salsa and broiled the fish instead of pan frying. This was a great meal and will be a regular in my house. I served it with sliced kiwi, apricots and green and wax beans. Beautiful looking plate with all the flavor I was looking for. It is VERY spicy but thats what we like.
We couldn't find tuna steak so we substituted for swordfish. Still excellent.
Made it for guests. They loved it! I cut down on the spices because I knew they weren't into spicy food and it still tasted great
WOW...This recipe is spot on!!! Will definately make this again...and again..and again.
I made this last night for my boyfriend and I's anniversary dinner and we both loved it. Here are a few adjustments that I did: 1. I used both a tuna steak and a tuna medallion. They were both probably about an inch thick so they had to cook much longer than the suggested time in the recipe. 2. I used more lime juice and less garlic and olive oil in the marinade. 3. Spices are expensive and you often only use them once or twice so instead of going out and buying the ones I didn't have I just made due with what was in my cabinent (I only used salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and thyme)...the rub was still AMAZING. 4. Also, to make the mango salsa requires pricey produce and believe it or not, most grocery stores will carry pre-made mango salsa so I bought that instead! 5. I recommend rice as a side dish. It goes really well the grill taste of the tuna as well as the sweetness of the salsa. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
This was very good with just the right amount of spice. I served it with a Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad. Perfect for a warm day.
This recipe is amazing! The tuna comes out, depending on thickness, with a red center and a crisp outside. Yum! The mango salsa is delicious. I used only salt and pepper on one of the tuna steaks for my 6 year old daughter and she devoured it! I think it had more to do with the salsa, honestly, she loved the fruit ( I added a small amount of pineapple and strawberry, mmmm...) This recipe will be used again and again in our house. THanks!
This recipe was amazing! I cut the cayenne to 1 teaspoon and next time I will use less salt. I also made a topping of sour creme, fresh lime and cilantro to finish it off. The pan frying technique worked perfectly. The steaks were slightly pink in the center - just right!
The mixture of flavors was amazing. The sweet of the mango and heat of the peppers with the blackened tuna went together well. This recipe is one I will definitely make again.
Delicious although a bit spicy for our taste. Next time I will cut back the cayenne some. This time we just chipped off the blackened spice rub. Did not do the blackened tuna but instead stole the carmelized onions from a different tuna recipe. Mixed 2.5 medium onions, half a head of cabbage, and 2 banana peppers and sauteed them for like 40 minutes in a bit of butter with a dash of salt and sugar.
I have made this so many times using different fish as well as tuna. This is also my go-to mango salsa recipe even if I don't blacken the fish and/or serve the salsa with another meat. We love it! Thank you for sharing.
This recipe was simple and amazingly delicious! I never made salsa before and it was the best I ever had. Recipe rivals higher level restaurants. Husband who is not a "fish lover" flipped. Cannot wait to make it again. Great job AcadiaBoi!
Delicious! Perfect amount of spice. I cut the salt in half and was more than salty enough.
this recipe was really good. to offset the overall spicyness of the fish, I added a little blue agave sweetener to the salsa (I also upped the lime juice, mostly because I like limes). I also basted the fish with a little more blue agave & fresh lime juice. The fish is really complemented well by the mango salsa (so should definitely be eaten together!)
My cousins sent me some of the fresh tuna they caught in Mexico. Wanted to find a new way to prepare them with my new found bounty. Absolutly the best I have ever made. Never will make it any other way. TRY THIS!!!! You will not regret it. Adjust the heat level to what works for you. Have used many recipes from this site, just never B4 sent a comment. OH did I say TRY THIS? Yep, I did, but worth repeating.
This was an excellent dish. The mango salsa was a perfect complement to the tuna. My husband and I love hot/spicy food but the heat was a little intense for us in this recipe. Next time I will cut down on the cayenne a bit.
Simply Delicious! It was the first time I tried Tuna Steak and loved it. I did not have a Mango so used a Mango Barbeque Sauce and the salsa turned out really great!
I did not make the salso, but the marinade, spices and cooking instructions were fantastic.
This was delicious but I would make a few changes if I decided to make it again. The salsa was very heavily flavored like cilantro, which I don't care for, even though I added a fresh minced habanero because we love spicy food. So I would cut that in half unless you're a big cilantro fan. Also, depending on the thickness of your tuna steaks, a 3 minute saute time might not be a good idea. I had 1 and 1/4 inch steaks I would estimate and they were definitely on the medium well side after the three minutes on one side and a minute on the other. I prefer my fish midrare to medium, if of good quality of course, so next time I will cut that long saute time in half (doing 90 seconds per). That being said, the dish was a huge hit with my fiance and we made chicken on the grill outside later in the week and topped it with the leftover salsa, greatly impressing our other guests.
This was just as good as a restaurant dish. I cut down on the Cayenne as suggested by others. Next time I will cut down the cooking time, as I like mine still swimming. Thanks for the help.
I usually don't like cooked tuna (sashimi is the best) but I like this recipe. mango salsa is great.
Really enjoyed this recipe. Very easy to follow the directions. Thank you! Will make again.
Great combination of flavors. I really enjoyed the mango salsa (though I did omit the cilantro because I find it tastes like soap). I also followed one users suggestion and halved the amount of cayenne so it wouldn't be too spicy.
Made this exactly as per the recipe though I marinated only for about an hour due to lack of time. This was terrific. Definitely will make again. Might try it with chicken, too.
Yum! Such a delicious blackened tuna recipe! Very spicy- will probably reduce the cayenne next time- we love spice, but with the mango salsa with jalepeno, it got to be a little much. I would add a dollop of sour cream next time, to cut the spice a bit but not sacrifice the flavor. New favorite blackening recipe! Thanks!
We LOVE this recipe and have done it twice, so far! Second time my husband grilled tuna- even better! I added a roasted chopped hatch chili (mild) to the salsa 'cause they are in season,(we in Texas). Served with couscous.
This was fantastic. The only changes I made was no bell pepper in the salsa, personal preference, and using shark steaks instead of tuna because thats what I had on hand.
This was amazing. Even my teenage boys ate it and asked for more. It is spicy so if you want a milder version, ditch the cayanne and use hungarian paparika...
Bought some Ahi Tuna at my Farmers Market which was on sale and I found this recipe and when for it! I follow exactly, expect the mango salsa. Tuna was so tender and divine! The mango salsa was very good but was missing something, maybe salt and I add a peach since I just at 3/4 of the mango. I will do this again for sure!!!
Wow. What a healthy alternative. I used store-bought mango salso from a fabulous grocery store called Stew Leonards here in the CT/NY area. My husbands hates Mango, so I made a buerre blanc sauce for him to dip into instead, and that countered the spicy seasoning very well. I only marinated for about 1 hr, and used slightly less cayenne pepper. I sprinkled generously, and followed recipe exactly. Warning - will cause a little smoke in the kitchen... open a window. Otherwise, a divine recipe! Will make every time tuna steaks go on sale!
I halved the recipe since there was 2 of us. While making the salsa I got concerned with the amount of onion and jalapeno in the mix (it smelled very onion-y) so I cut the amounts back a little bit and it was still quite tasty. The steaks were easy to do. We liked the heat it had. Was very pleased at how this turned out and will definitely make again.
I'm not sure if we messed up in some way, but my boyfriend and I really didn't like the flavor. Way too much cayenne flavor. I love spicy food, but I couldn't even finish my steak. Perhaps we didn't blacken it enough... though, our tuna seemed overdone. Not sure where we went wrong. Either way, did not care for the flavor.
This is a very good Tuna recipe. No need to try another, love everything about it and perfect as is. :)
This was delicious! I didn't have time to make the mango salsa, so we just bought some in a jar and it turned out perfect. I can't wait to try it with my own salsa when I make this again, though. The mix of spices for the tuna was great, I used a little less red pepper than the recipe called for and they still turned out really hot. Overall, a great recipe!
I must admit I was leary about using frozen fish but that was the only choice I had. The tuna taste surpased my expectations. The recipe is easy to follow and makes for a truly spectacular feast. Chopping the salsa is a bit time consuming, so next time I may use a food processor. Other than that, fantastic recipe. Thank you so much for submitting it!
Just finished (seriously-dishes still sitting on the table). CRAZY good!! New favorite-hands down. It is spicy-which is great for me since I always add extra spice. This was perfect! Only change-added some pineapple in w/mango. Thought is would be a good combo and it worked beautifully. Thanks so much for a great recipe. One of the best !
I didn't make the salsa at all and didn't have basil used chili powder instead of the paprika & cayenne and holy yum, this was good! Oh, I also forgot to rinse off the marinade before cooking, but I really loved the lime flavor so I think that was a good thing for me. My husband loved this as well. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
