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How to Grill Tuna Steaks?

how to grill tuna steak

If you’re wondering what the best grill temp for tuna steak is or how to get the perfect piece of fish cooked each and every time, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know about how to grill tuna steaks at home like a pro.

While it may seem difficult to get the perfect tuna steak on your own home grill, it is actually incredibly simple with the right tools and knowledge. All you need to know are the ideal internal temperatures and how to measure them for yourself.

Keep reading to learn more.

How to Marinate Tuna Steaks?

Marinating tuna steaks isn’t necessary to create a delicious and flavor-packed meal. While marinating keeps many meats tender, even during the cooking process, it won’t prevent your tuna steaks from drying as quickly as they do.

However, marinating tuna steaks can be a great way to add some more flavor to the surface of the fish. To do this, mix up whatever marinade you enjoy in a dish that can be covered, place in your tuna steaks, and set in the fridge for about fifteen minutes to half and hour before cooking or grilling.

How to Grill Tuna Steaks?

1. How to Grill Tuna Steaks in Foil?

Wrapping tuna up in foil before placing it on the grill is a great way to prevent it from drying out as it cooks and it ensure that the steak heats up evenly from all sides. It also keeps some of the flavor, moisture, and marinade close to the tuna steak as it cooks.

The best temp to cook tuna steak on grill is medium high heat, so get your grill preheating while you prepare the tuna steaks with your marinade or seasoning.

Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil and place your tuna steak in the center. If you are serving with onions, lemons, or veggies, you can place these on the foil beneath the tuna steak itself.

Next, top the tuna steak with a little bit of your marinade or sauce, if you are using one, to seal in some additional flavor as the tuna cooks. Fold the foil tightly over the top of the tuna steak, creating a tightly sealed packet.

Place the foiled tuna steak in the middle of the grill at medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Flip the foiled tuna and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on the grill.

2. How to Grill Tuna Steaks Well Done or Medium Rare?

Tuna steak grill temp recommendations vary depending on what type of tuna you are trying to achieve.

If you want a well done tuna steak, then the internal temp to cook tuna steak on grill would be over 150° F. However, most people choose not to cook their tuna steaks to well done because this type of fish can dry out so quickly. It may becoming chewy at this temperature, so we definitely don’t recommend anything over the 150° F mark.

grill tuna steak temperature

To achieve a medium cook on your grilled tuna steaks, check for an internal temperature of about 140-145° F. This is an incredibly popular temperature for those who make their own tuna steaks at home. Again, just be sure to check that the surface of your tuna steak is not becoming to dry as it cooks.

Finally, medium rare tuna steaks should be cooked on the grill to an internal temperature of around 130-140° F. We do not recommend cooking completely rare tuna steaks at home below 130° F, as this can make people sick and is a health and safety concern.

It is important to monitor the internal temperature of tuna steaks as they cook, so we recommend using a high-quality meat thermometer, like this one from ThermoPro, while you grill.

3. How to Grill Tuna Steaks on a Propane Grill?

Propane grills make cooking tuna steaks incredibly quick and easy, so they are a fantastic way to achieve a quick weeknight dinner for you and your family.

To cook your tuna steaks on the propane grill, make sure that the rack is about 4-5 inches from the grill’s flame and turn it on at medium-high heat. After adding your marinade or seasoning to the tuna steaks, place them directly on the grill rack.

Leave the tuna steak on the rack for about 4-6 minutes depending on how done you want them to be in the center. Use the ThermoPro Meat Thermometer for a more accurate idea of the tuna steaks internal temperature. Flip the tuna steaks, and allow them to cook for an additional 4-6 minutes on the other side.

If you want the edged of a thick tuna steak to become more brown as well, use tongs to hold the sides of the steak over the grill’s flame for about a minute or two, rotating to brown along the entire edge.

4. How to Grill Tuna Steaks in the Oven?

If you don’t have a grill or rather cook your tuna steaks in the oven, then you can do so very simply.

Preheat your oven to 450° F. Lightly coat a baking pan with butter or oil and then place your thawed, marinated, or seasoned tuna steaks. generally speaking, you should cook these for about 5 minutes per every half-inch of thickness, but the easiest way to know when your tuna steak is done cooking is to check its internal temperature with a meat thermometer.

If you want, you can also wrap your tuna steak in foil to cook in the oven, like we covered earlier in the article when we talked about grilling. To do this, we recommend cooking the tuna steaks for about 30 minutes at 350° F.

What Temperature Do You Grill Tuna Steaks?

  • Can you Get Sick from Undercooked Tuna Steak?

When cooking tuna steaks at home, it is highly recommended that you do not undercook them. When not cooked to at least medium rare, tuna steaks can contain certain parasites that are extremely dangerous to consume. So, yes, eating undercooked tuna steaks can make you sick.

When grilling, searing, or baking tuna steaks, you should always cook them to an internal temperature of at least 130° F. You can use the ThermoPro Meat Thermometer to safely and accurately check the tuna’s internal temperature as it cooks, ensuring that you are at no risk of consuming harmful parasites from your fish.

  • Can Tuna Steak Be Pink in the Middle?
tuna steak doneness

Yes, tuna steaks can be pink in the middle. Tuna steaks dry out, become chewy, and won’t taste good when overcooked, so you are shooting for a flaky brown exterior with a slightly pink center.

However, a red, cold center may be a sign that you have not cooked the tuna steaks to the recommended internal temperature at at least 130° F. Be sure to use your ThermoPro Meat Thermometer to check the pink center. It can be difficult walking the fine line between overcooking and undercooking tuna steaks, and a meat thermometer eliminates all of the guesswork for you.

  • How Do You Know When Tuna Steaks Are Done?

To ensure that your tuna steaks are done cooking completely, measure the internal temperature and compare it to how done you want your finished tuna steaks to be. You should start checking the temperature with a meat thermometer once the outside of the tuna steak starts browning and becoming flakey.

Remember, then the internal temp to cook tuna steak on grill would be over 150° F for well done, 140-145° F for medium, and 130-140° F for medium rare.


Cooking or grilling the perfect tuna steak at home isn’t as hard as you might think, as long as you have the right tools. While it seems tricky at first because of tuna steak’s tendency to dry out along with its need to be cooked past rare, the ThermoPro Meat Thermometer can ensure the perfect cook on your tuna steak each and every time.

As long as you cook your tuna steaks to the correct internal temperature, you will be left with a meal that is tender, flakey, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. By a meat thermometer for yourself and start cooking perfect tuna steaks right from there comfort of your own home today.


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