These Bonefish Grill Tuna Bowls are a delicious copycat from my favourite seafood chain, made with mango salsa and sweet chili sauce!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil.
- Tuna steaks – you can use salmon or grilled shrimp instead.
- Sesame seeds – coat your tuna steaks with red pepper flakes instead for an extra kick.
- Avocado – swap out for another veggie of your choice like cucumbers, edamame or green beans.
- Tortilla strips – wontons would also be good in these tuna bowls.
- Sweet chili Thai sauce – if you don’t have any sweet chili sauce, try mixing together some hot sauce and honey for a similar flavour.
- Jasmine rice – sushi rice, brown rice, soba noodles or zucchini noodles would all be good.
Mango salsa
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- Mango – frozen or fresh mango can be used or you can swap out for a different fruit like avocado or pineapple.
- Red pepper – feel free to use any other bell pepper colour.
- Red onion – white onion will work but has a slightly different flavour.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you don’t like cilantro.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed or bottled lime or lemon juice will both work here.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make tuna bowls
- Cook the rice.
- Make the mango salsa.
- Coat the tuna steaks with sesame seeds.
- Sear the tuna steaks.
- Assemble your bowls.
- Serve and dig in!
How to sear tuna
Searing tuna means it’s rare when served. That’s why it’s important to invest in high-quality tuna meat.
To get a proper sear on the tuna steak:
- Heat oil in a pan to high heat. You want to wait to put the tuna in the pan until the oil is smoking and very hot.
- Coat the tuna steaks with sesame seeds.
- Cook for 45 seconds per side. Yes, this is a very short time. But it’s just enough to sear the outside layer and keep the inside raw.
- Let it rest for a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is perfectly safe to sear and eat tuna that is cooked rare. A good quality tuna has been flash-frozen almost immediately after being caught. You just want to sear the outside to give it a little more flavour.
Yes! These recipes are packed with protein and have 472 calories per serving. If you want to cut down even more on the calorie count you can eat them without the rice for a low-carb option.
This mango salsa is super easy to make and adds the perfect amount of sweetness to your tuna bowls. It’s made with mango, red pepper, red onion, cilantro and lemon or lime juice.
Storing and reheating
These tuna bowls are best the day you make them. You can assemble them the night before and refrigerate them overnight. You may want to keep the rice separate if you plan to reheat it.
Freezing the tuna
Unfortunately, you can’t freeze this recipe whole, but you can freeze the tuna steaks for up to 3 months in airtight glass containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags. Let the tuna defrost in the fridge overnight then serve with fresh toppings.
More tasty tuna recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- A rice cooker makes meal prep so much easier! This is the one I use.
- Get square glass meal prep bowls here for leftovers.
- Here's the sweet chili sauce I use.
Bonefish Grill Tuna Bowls {Copycat Recipe}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 (6 oz) tuna steaks about 1 inch thick
- Sesame seeds to coat tuna with
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1/2 cup tortilla strips
- 3/4 cup sweet chili Thai sauce (about 2 tbsp per bowl)
Mango salsa
- 1 cup frozen or fresh mango diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
Jasmine rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- In a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove, cook rice according to package directions (usually it takes around 15-20 min).
- Meanwhile, make mango salsa and coat tuna steaks with sesame seeds.
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan on high heat. Once oil starts to smoke, add tuna steaks, cooking for 45 seconds per side. Remove from heat and set on a plate to rest for a couple minutes before slicing.
- Pack rice into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and dump onto each plate. Add mango salsa alongside rice, as well as sliced avocado. Add half of each tuna steak to each bowl. Garnish with crushed tortilla strips, then serve along with a tiny bowl of sweet chili Thai sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Brenda says
This recipe is amazing! So glad I found it!! Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Fran says
This recipe is dead on. So delicious and easy to prepare. Thank you so much Taylor.
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Fran! OMG that makes me so happy!!! I love this recipe – if only I could afford fresh tuna more often haha. Thanks so much for sharing with me <3
Suja Md says
Gorgeous colors and looks absolutely stunning. Replicating the recipes at home have always been a pleasure for me.
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks Suja! 🙂
mahy says
These bowls are to die for Taylor!! Oh MY!! That tuna looks simply perfect! Yum!
Taylor Stinson says
Thanks so much Mahy!! I wish I could afford to eat fresh tuna more often!