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    Home » Fish & Shellfish » Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna

    Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna

    May 7, 2013 · by Valentina · 39 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna is truly special for a couple of reasons. First, the bold and delicious Kampot Pepper is from the Pepper Project, and second, a super quick, simple cooking process.Thinly sliced Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna onr a red plate with a lot of cilantro and yellow chopsticks.

    I ordered a bundle of Kampot pepper from the Pepper Project mid-way through reading about it on Blue Kitchen. Pepper Project is one of my favorite small businesses, and I'm hoping I'll inspire you to order the pepper too.

    Kampot Pepper

    • First discovered by Chinese explorers in the 12th century, this pepper is cultivated in Cambodia in the province of Kampot.
    • This pepper is highly regarded among food connoisseurs and ranks as the finest gourmet pepper in the world.
    • Kampot pepper, which is a certified organic product, is incredibly aromatic, pungent, bold, bright and delicious.

    Envelope for Kampot pepper with a few whole peppercorns on top -- for Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna.

    What is the Pepper Project?

    The Pepper Project is a not-for-profit enterprise devoted to introducing products of Cambodia to the United States, primarily pepper.

    (You can learn more about the Pepper Project here.)

    Pepper Project packages of Kampot pepper, including a hand-written note from them.Look how lovely my package of pepper is -- with a hand written, personal note, literature about the Pepper Project, recipes, seeds, and the wonderful pepper itself in beautiful hand made bags.

    How to Make Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna

    This is a simple and quick process.

    1. Place Ahi Tuna fillet on a clean work surface.
    2. Lightly sprinkle all of the sides with salt.
    3. Generously sprinkle all the sides with pepper.
    4. Lightly coat a pan with a neutral oil, with a high burning point, like grapeseed.
    5. Preheat the pan over high heat.
    6. When the pan is very hot, add the Ahi and sear each side until it's only cooked through about ⅛-inch. This will only take a minute or so - total!
    7. Remove it from the pan, let it cool a bit, slice and serve!

    (More detailed instructions are below.)

    Thinly sliced Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna with fresh cilantro and chopsticks.

    The first dish I made with Kampot pepper was this gorgeous Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna.

    I've since also highlighted it in these Black Pepper Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they're amazing!

    The flavor of the pepper makes this some of the best Ahi I've ever tasted. So if you didn't realize that using a high quality, freshly ground pepper would make a difference -- trust me, it does!

    Now please, enjoy this Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna.

    Sliced Pepper Seared Ah Tuna with chopsticks

    Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna

    Valentina K. Wein
    Kampot Pepper Seared Ahi Tuna is truly special for a couple of reasons. First, the bright, bold and delicious Kampot Pepper is from the Pepper Project, and second, a super quick, simple cooking process.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 4 mins
    Total Time 9 mins
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 163 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 (4-ounce) Ahi tuna fillets, sushi grade
    • salt
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons black pepper (preferably Kampot), finely ground
    • grapeseed oil for the pan

    Instructions
     

    • Place the number of Ahi fillets you're serving on a clean, dry plate or cutting surface. (For a slightly fancier plate presentation, you can slice each fillet into 2 to 3 long, rectangular pieces.)
    • Lightly sprinkle all of the sides with sea salt, then either sprinkle or grind black pepper directly onto the top and bottom surfaces of the fillets. The pepper should be a thin, but generous layer.
    • Coat a large sauté pan with grapeseed oil and place it over high heat.
    • Once the pan is very hot, add the Ahi and sear each side until it's only cooked through about ⅛-inch, 1 minute or less per side. (If you don't hear a sizzling sound when the tuna hits the pan, it's not hot enough -- wait for the sizzle!)
    • Remove the pepper seared tuna from the pan and place each piece on a large plate. Once they have cooled a bit, cut them into very thin slices and serve.

    Notes

    This is also just as delicious served cold and is perfect over a salad of greens.
    Pepper should be stored in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place. Experts recommend grinding or cracking whole peppercorns right before use.
    Keywords fish for dinner party, seared fish dish
    Have you tried this recipe?I'd love to see it on Instagram! Tag me at @cookingontheweekends or leave a comment & rating below.

    Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


    More Fish & Shellfish

    • Pan-Seared Sea Bass with Lemon Pepper Sauce
    • Fish Puttanesca in 30 Minutes
    • Blackened Mexican Salmon with Lime
    • Salmon Burgers with Lemon and Dill (Made with Fresh Salmon)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shannon C

      May 07, 2013 at 8:22 pm

      Love to douse my fried eggs in freshly ground pepper 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 08, 2013 at 12:49 am

        delicious, Shannon!

        Reply
      • Frankie

        May 09, 2013 at 4:37 am

        Love to use fresh ground pepper when cooking greens, kale, or fresh veggies.

        Reply
    2. Stephanie Larison

      May 08, 2013 at 1:37 am

      I use pepper on most everything while I'm cooking. I'm not the best cook so everything needs a bit of flavor! lol

      Reply
    3. Stephanie Larison

      May 08, 2013 at 1:38 am

      Follow on pinterest...stephanie64030

      Reply
    4. Linda S.

      May 08, 2013 at 1:48 am

      I normally use peppercorns in mundane ways: I add it when making chicken broth, or when boiling shrimp. But I'd like to try using it it in peppercorn-crusted tuna, or another fish.

      Reply
    5. shannon Baas

      May 08, 2013 at 2:06 am

      I like to use pepper on many things.

      Reply
    6. Lana

      May 08, 2013 at 7:28 pm

      Of vourse you would support such a worthwhile organization:) I have to say I have never heard of Kampot pepper, but I love the way they conduct business. I use whole black peppercorn I bring from Serbia, as it is so flavorful, so aromatic and so pungent that I cannot find anything similar in the U.S. But, I would love to try Kapmot pepper:)
      BTW, that tuna looks perfect and I want some NOW!

      Reply
    7. Melody

      May 08, 2013 at 7:35 pm

      This fish looks amazing! I'm going to try to make it for our family friends this Saturday. Thanks! (Pepper looks great too.)

      Reply
    8. Cindy

      May 08, 2013 at 7:44 pm

      I would mix this wonderful pepper with toasted sesame seeds and sear it exactly like you did!

      Reply
    9. Beth

      May 08, 2013 at 10:51 pm

      Such an interesting idea!! Love your unique recipe's ...... yours is my absolute favorite cooking blog! I follow it religiously..

      Reply
    10. Roberta

      May 08, 2013 at 11:36 pm

      This is just one of the many things I love about cookingontheweekends.com: who knew of any such thing as Kampot pepper? I can't wait to try it and the Ahi recipe. I'm marking my calendar on May 17 to come back and order this if I don't win it.

      Reply
    11. Sandy miller

      May 09, 2013 at 12:08 am

      Pepper steak comes to mind and big, fat juicy heirloom tomatoes with freshly cracked pepper. I have not heard of this product before, but I love to try new products, especially one that I use so frequently.
      Sandy

      Reply
    12. Aimee

      May 09, 2013 at 1:24 am

      I love everything about this - love trying new gourmet goodies, love the social-consciousness of the company, love Ahi and your delicious recipe, and love pepper! I use it on almost everything and I'm so interested to see how this pepper compares to what I normally use. Thank you!

      Reply
    13. Judi

      May 09, 2013 at 1:45 am

      I love freshly ground black pepper on balsamic-drizzled strawberries. Incredible flavor and a wonderful, gentle heat.

      Reply
    14. Colette

      May 09, 2013 at 7:03 am

      I've never tasted kampot pepper, but I'd put it into my muhammara, ohhhh yes!

      Reply
    15. Janet

      May 09, 2013 at 9:57 am

      I usually put black pepper on and in most of my recipes. It helps season the food as I do not use much salt.

      Thanks for the giveaway!

      Reply
    16. rachel

      May 09, 2013 at 4:34 pm

      I do a lot of Asian cooking, so this would be a great fit.

      Reply
    17. sippitysup

      May 09, 2013 at 5:18 pm

      I'm a big pepper fan but I don't know this one. GREG

      Reply
    18. Lydia Harpe

      May 12, 2013 at 2:46 am

      I like to put black pepper on a lot of things; most recently I used it on fresh corn on the cob!

      Reply
    19. Lydia Harpe

      May 12, 2013 at 2:47 am

      I follow you on twitter; my name is @LydiaInTheHouse.

      Reply
    20. jacquie

      May 13, 2013 at 11:56 pm

      nothing to interesting - I would likely just use on a salad of lovely spring greens. though I have to say those cookies sound pretty good so I would likely be trying it in them.

      Reply
    21. jacquie

      May 13, 2013 at 11:56 pm

      already a subscriber to your newsletter.

      Reply
    22. Mary Beth Printsky

      May 13, 2013 at 5:48 pm

      I love salt and sweet and all kinds of recipes feature salt with chocolate. So, now I really want to try this recipe which I will share on my own face book page,"MB's Musings and Promotions" where I promote all that I love and share my thoughts on many subjects. Many blessings to you and I can't wait to win! MB

      Reply
    23. David

      May 14, 2013 at 12:14 pm

      What a wonderful way to get a bag of pepper! I am ordering today - and I also shared this with my colleague Karna who runs an anti-trafficking organization in Tucson, and teaches a class about worldwide trafficking at the university. Thanks for sharing this, your wonderful photos and a mouth-watering recipe!

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 14, 2013 at 8:37 pm

        Thanks for sharing this with your colleague, David. The folks at the Pepper Project are great, and I know appreciate that we're spreading the word. And thanks for all of your kind words. 🙂

        Reply
    24. diane Baum

      May 15, 2013 at 12:20 am

      I use black pepper in everything, because I have high blood pressure, I have to stay away from the salt and pepper jazzes up the taste.

      Reply
    25. Karrie

      May 15, 2013 at 3:45 am

      I would use it to make italian chicken and sausage. Delicious!

      Reply
    26. Amy

      May 15, 2013 at 4:19 pm

      I put cracked black pepper inside pretty much anything (and now my chocolate chip cookies!!). Thanks for the giveaway!

      Reply
    27. April Bever

      May 15, 2013 at 11:53 pm

      I love fresh pepper on salad

      Reply
    28. Christine

      May 16, 2013 at 2:23 am

      I put cracked black pepper on steak

      Reply
    29. Sand

      May 17, 2013 at 2:39 am

      I love to add black pepper and Hatch chile to my homemade macaroni and cheese.

      Reply
    30. Jayme Barrett

      May 17, 2013 at 5:59 pm

      Black pepper goes in so many Moroccan dishes that my husband and I make! Chicken tagine, zaalouk (eggplant deliciousness), and Moroccan lentils! Yum!!

      Reply
    31. ash

      May 17, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Pepper is always a great thing and I LOVE the packaging!!!

      Reply
    32. Jill

      May 17, 2013 at 6:50 pm

      I use black pepper on just about everything that is not dessert!
      Pepper-lime beef is one of my favorites though.

      Reply
    33. Kelsey

      May 17, 2013 at 5:52 pm

      I like to put freshly ground black pepper on my gazpacho!

      Reply
    34. Tamara Walker

      May 17, 2013 at 5:58 pm

      My husband loves putting freshly ground pepper on everything! This looks great.

      Reply
    35. David Silverman

      May 25, 2016 at 8:13 am

      Love the project! Can I put some pepper project pepper on my chicken paprikash? 🙂

      Reply
      • valentina

        May 25, 2016 at 10:40 am

        Thanks, David! Absolutely. 🙂 xo

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Valentina, certified chef, owner, recipe developer and photographer at Cooking on the Weekends. I'm also a mom of two boys and a Los Angeleno. I use seasonal whole foods to create unique and comforting recipes for casual entertaining.

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