Portuguese Tuna Steaks with Molho and White Rice

These Portuguese tuna steaks are marinated with red wine, garlic, pimenta moída and classic Portuguese seasonings, pan fried until beautifully golden and finished in a savoury molho. 🇵🇹 Served over fluffy white rice to soak up every last drop of sauce, this is simple Portuguese comfort food packed with flavour.

And in our house, this one is extra special because it’s one of my family's absolute favourite meals. ❤️

Jump to:

• A Portuguese Tuna Recipe That Tastes Like Home 🇵🇹
• What Are Portuguese Tuna Steaks?
• Why You’ll Love This Portuguese Tuna Recipe ❤️
• Key Ingredients for Portuguese Tuna Steaks
• Ingredients
• How to Make Portuguese Tuna Steaks
• Tips for the Best Portuguese Tuna 💡
• Should I Slice My Tuna Steaks in Half?
• How to Serve Portuguese Tuna Steaks 🍚
• Can I Make Portuguese Tuna Ahead of Time?
• How to Store Leftover Portuguese Tuna
• How to Reheat Tuna Without Drying It Out
• Can You Freeze Cooked Portuguese Tuna?
• Portuguese Tuna Steak FAQs
• More Portuguese Recipes You’ll Love 🇵🇹
• Keeping Our Portuguese Traditions Alive ❤️🇵🇹
• Portuguese Tuna Steaks

A Portuguese Tuna Recipe That Tastes Like Home 🇵🇹

There are certain meals that just taste like home, and this is one of them.

Portuguese tuna isn’t about a plain piece of fish with a little seasoning. This recipe is all about building layers of flavour with red wine, garlic, pimenta moída, paprika, bay leaf and a beautiful molho that brings everything together.

And you already know that if there’s molho involved, I’m finding something to soak it up with. 😂

For this recipe, that has to be white rice.

I spread the rice onto the bottom of the plate, place the tuna right over top and spoon that beautiful molho over everything. The rice catches all that sauce underneath and honestly, that might be my favourite part. 🤌🏼

What Are Portuguese Tuna Steaks?

Tuna, or atum in Portuguese, is a fish you’ll find prepared in many different ways throughout Portuguese cooking, particularly in coastal and island communities.

For this version, the tuna is soaked first and then marinated overnight before cooking. Once it has had time to take on all those flavours, I pan fry the tuna and then use that same pan to make the molho.

That means all those little browned bits left behind from the tuna become part of the sauce.

Less cleanup and more flavour? We love that. 🙌🏼

The tuna then goes back into the molho briefly at the end so everything comes together before serving.

Why You’ll Love This Portuguese Tuna Recipe ❤️

✨ Packed with Portuguese flavour: Red wine, garlic, pimenta moída, colorau, bay leaf and saffron give the tuna so much flavour.

✨ Perfect for molho lovers: There is plenty of savoury sauce to spoon over the tuna and rice.

✨ Great for preparing ahead: Marinate the tuna the day before and it’s ready to cook the following day.

✨ One pan: Fry the tuna, remove it and make the molho right in that same pan.

✨ Simple ingredients: Nothing overly complicated, just those classic Portuguese pantry ingredients doing what they do best.

✨ Family approved: This is one of my family's favourite meals, which tells you everything you need to know. 😂❤️

Key Ingredients for Portuguese Tuna Steaks

Tuna Steaks 🐟

I used 3 tuna steaks, approximately 6 ounces each, for about 18 ounces of tuna total.

I sliced each steak horizontally in half to make six thinner tuna steaks. This is how I normally like preparing my tuna, although with the thicker Costco tuna I used this time, I think I may actually leave the steaks whole next time.

You can do either depending on the thickness of your tuna.

Red Wine 🍷

Red wine gives the marinade depth and is one of the main flavours in the tuna.

Make sure you don’t confuse this with red wine vinegar. We’re using red wine in the actual marinade.

Pimenta Moída 🌶️

You know this one is going in! 😂

Pimenta moída is Portuguese ground red pepper paste and one of those ingredients I always have in my cozinha.

It brings saltiness, pepper flavour and a little heat. Different varieties can have different salt levels, so always taste before adding too much additional salt.

Sweet Paprika / Colorau

Sweet paprika, or colorau, gives the tuna beautiful colour and a mild sweet pepper flavour.

For my version of this recipe, I use sweet paprika, not smoked paprika.

Garlic 🧄

This is Portuguese cooking, so naturally we’re using plenty of garlic.

Fresh garlic goes into the marinade and more garlic is added when making the molho.

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves add that familiar savoury flavour you’ll find in so many Portuguese recipes.

I use 2 bay leaves in the marinade and removed after adding the tuna back into the molho.

White Pepper

White pepper gives the marinade a subtle warmth without overpowering the other flavours.

Lemon 🍋

A little fresh lemon juice brightens the marinade and balances the richness of the wine, olive oil and pepper paste.

Onion Powder

This isn’t overpowering, but I like adding a little onion powder to round out the marinade.

White Wine Vinegar

A splash of White wine vinegar is used in the marinade and I also use white cooking vinegar during the initial soaking process, not as the main acid in the overnight marinade.

Ingredients

For the Tuna

    ●    3 tuna steaks, approximately 6 oz each, about 18 oz total
    ●    Cold water, for soaking
    ●    White wine vinegar, for soaking

For the Marinade

    ●    ½ cup red wine
    ●    2 tablespoons olive oil
    ●    1 tablespoon pimenta moída
    ●    1 teaspoon sweet paprika / colorau
    ●    3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    ●    ½ teaspoon onion powder
    ●    ½ teaspoon white pepper
    ●    2 bay leaves
    ●    ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    ●    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the Molho

    ●    Avocado oil or vegetable oil, for frying
    ●    3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
    ●    1 tablespoon pimenta moída
● 2 tablespoons massa de pimentão
    ●    2 tablespoon tomato pulp, optional
    ●    1 teaspoon sweet paprika / colorau
    ●    Small pinch saffron, optional
    ●    ½ cup water, plus additional water as needed
    ●    Salt and white pepper, to taste
    ●    2 red banana peppers
    ●    Fresh parsley, chopped, optional
    ●    1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, to finish

How to Make Portuguese Tuna Steaks

How to Make Portuguese Tuna Steaks

Step 1: Soak the Tuna

Place your tuna steaks into a large bowl and completely cover them with cold water.

Allow the tuna to soak for approximately 2 hours, changing the water a couple of times during the soaking process.

Drain the tuna.

Cover it again with fresh water and add some white cooking vinegar. Allow the tuna to sit briefly in the water and vinegar mixture.

Drain again, rinse with plain cold water and leave the tuna to drain well.

Step 2: Make the Portuguese Tuna Marinade

In a bowl, combine:

Red wine, olive oil, pimenta moída, sweet paprika, chopped garlic, onion powder, white pepper, bay leaves, salt, a splash white wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice.

Mix everything together.

Add the tuna steaks and make sure each piece is well coated in the marinade.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

I let mine marinate for approximately 24 hours, which gives all those Portuguese flavours plenty of time to get into the tuna.

Step 3: Pan Fry the Tuna

When you’re ready to cook, remove the tuna from the marinade and allow the excess liquid to drain off.

Heat avocado oil or vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the tuna in batches.

You don’t want to overcrowd your pan because you want the tuna to actually fry and develop some colour.

Sear the tuna on both sides until beautifully golden, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a plate.

Remember that the tuna is going back into the molho at the end, so don’t overcook it during this step.

Step 4: Make the Molho in the Same Pan

Now for my favourite part.

Do not wash that pan!

Lower the heat and add your sliced garlic directly to the same pan you used for the tuna.

All those browned bits left behind are going to add even more flavour to your molho.

Cook the garlic gently until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.

Add the pimenta moída, massa de pimentão optional tomato pulp, sweet paprika and optional small pinch of saffron.

Add approximately ½ cup water.

Bring the molho to a boil and let all those flavours come together.

Taste and adjust your salt and white pepper.

If you want more molho or it has reduced too much, add a little additional water until you get the consistency you like.

Step 5: Finish the Tuna in the Molho

Once your molho is bubbling, add parsley and banana peppers and return the tuna steaks to the pan.

Let them cook in the molho for approximately 1 to 3 minutes, flipping once or twice.

You don’t want to cook them for too long here. This final step is about coating the tuna in the sauce and bringing all those flavours together.

Prepare your banana peppers by rinsing them, removing the seeds and patting them dry.

Add them to the molho and allow them to cook briefly.

Finish everything with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Taste your molho one last time and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Tips for the Best Portuguese Tuna 💡

    ●    Don’t overcook the tuna. You’re cooking it twice, first in the pan and then briefly in the molho.
    ●    Use the same pan for your molho. Those browned bits from the tuna add so much flavour.
    ●    Taste before adding extra salt. Pimenta moída can already contain quite a bit of salt.
    ●    Use sweet paprika, not smoked paprika. Colorau gives you the flavour and colour we’re looking for here.
    ●    Adjust your spice. Make it as mild or spicy as your family likes by adding more pimenta moída. 🌶️
    ●    Don’t skip the overnight marinade. Giving the tuna time to sit in those flavours makes such a difference.
    ●    Make enough molho! You want plenty for spooning over that white rice. Trust me. 😂
    ●    Leave your tuna whole if you prefer. If you have thicker steaks, you don’t necessarily need to slice them horizontally.

Should I Slice My Tuna Steaks in Half?

This is really going to depend on your tuna.

I normally slice my tuna steaks horizontally in half because I like a thinner steak and find they take on the marinade beautifully.

For this recipe, I used three 6-ounce tuna steaks and sliced them in half to make six thinner pieces.

However, the tuna I used this time was from Costco, and next time I think I’m going to try leaving those steaks whole from Costco or buying my fresh tuna from my local Portuguese market.

If your tuna is already relatively thin, definitely don’t slice it again.

If you leave your tuna steaks thicker, just remember that your cooking time will need to be adjusted.

How to Serve Portuguese Tuna Steaks 🍚

For me, there’s only one answer: white rice and lots of molho.

Instead of putting the rice and tuna separately on the plate, I love spreading a bed of fluffy white rice down first and placing the tuna right on top.

Then spoon that beautiful molho over the tuna and around the rice.

As that molho works its way into the rice underneath… SO GOOD. 🤌🏼

You can also serve this with:

    ●    Roasted sweet potatoes
    ●    Boiled potatoes
    ●    Portuguese roasted potatoes
    ●    A simple green salad
    ●    Steamed vegetables
    ●    Crusty Portuguese bread

And if you’re a true molho person, serve the bread with the rice because we’re not wasting a drop. 😂

Can I Make Portuguese Tuna Ahead of Time?

Absolutely.

This is actually a great recipe to start the day before because the tuna benefits from marinating overnight.

Prepare your tuna and marinade, cover it and refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook the following day.

I marinated mine for approximately 24 hours.

Because there is red wine and fresh lemon juice in the marinade, I wouldn’t intentionally leave the tuna sitting in it for several days. The acidity can begin changing the texture of the fish.

How to Store Leftover Portuguese Tuna

Store leftover tuna and molho in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For the best quality, enjoy it within 1 to 2 days.

Keeping the tuna in some of the molho will also help prevent it from drying out.

How to Reheat Tuna Without Drying It Out

Tuna can dry out quickly when reheated, so keep the heat gentle.

Place the tuna and molho into a pan over low heat and warm only until heated through.

If the molho has thickened in the refrigerator, add a small splash of water to loosen it.

Avoid repeatedly reheating the tuna.

Can You Freeze Cooked Portuguese Tuna?

You can freeze cooked tuna, but personally, this isn’t one I would make specifically for freezing.

The texture of tuna can change after freezing and reheating, and this recipe is so much better enjoyed fresh with that beautiful molho.

Portuguese Tuna Steak FAQs

What is tuna called in Portuguese?

Tuna is called atum in Portuguese.

What is pimenta moída?

Pimenta moída is a Portuguese ground red pepper paste commonly used to season meat, seafood, marinades and sauces.

The salt and spice level can vary depending on the brand or whether it’s homemade, so taste as you go.

What is colorau?

Colorau is the sweet paprika/red pepper seasoning commonly used in Portuguese cooking.

It gives food beautiful colour and mild pepper flavour without necessarily making it spicy.

Does this recipe use smoked paprika?

No.

For my version of these Portuguese tuna steaks, I use sweet paprika/colorau only. There is no smoked paprika in my marinade.

Can I use black pepper instead of white pepper?

Yes, but I prefer white pepper for this recipe.

Do I have to marinate the tuna overnight?

I recommend it.

I marinated mine for approximately 24 hours, which gives the red wine, garlic, pimenta moída and seasonings time to flavour the tuna.

Can I leave the tuna steaks whole?

Absolutely.

I sliced my three tuna steaks horizontally to create six thinner pieces, but you can leave yours whole. Just adjust the cooking time based on the thickness of your tuna.

Why soak tuna before cooking?

For this traditional family recipe, the tuna is first soaked in water, changing the water a couple of times, followed by a brief water and vinegar soak before it is drained and marinated. It’s part of the preparation method I use for this recipe.

More Portuguese Recipes You’ll Love 🇵🇹

If you loved these Portuguese tuna steaks, here are a few more Portuguese recipes to make next:

    ●    Arroz de Camarão – saucy Portuguese shrimp rice packed with flavour
    ●    Pica-Pau – Portuguese beef bites with an incredible molho
    ●    Bacalhau com Natas – creamy Portuguese cod with potatoes
    ●    Porco à Alentejana – Portuguese pork and clams
    ●    Arroz de Tomate – saucy Portuguese tomato rice

Keeping Our Portuguese Traditions Alive ❤️🇵🇹

This is exactly the kind of recipe I love sharing here at Rainha da Cozinha.

Traditional Portuguese flavours don’t have to mean spending the entire day in the kitchen. It’s about taking the recipes and flavours we grew up with and finding ways to keep making them for our own families.

And when it’s a meal your family requests again and again, you KNOW it’s staying in the rotation. 😂❤️

If you make my Portuguese Tuna Steaks with Molho, come back and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment to let me know how they turned out. I love seeing these recipes being made in your cozinhas!

🇵🇹 Follow @Rainha_da_Cozinha for more easy Portuguese recipes, family favourites and recipes you’ll actually make.

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Keeping traditions alive, one meal at a time. ❤️