Air Fryer Crusted Tuna w Fried Avocado & Tartar Sauce

About

Put a healthy, Keto spin on your Friday-night fish fry! No beer batters or unhealthy carbohydrates. Lean tuna steaks full of good fatty oils are coated in a Keto-friendly seasoned almond flour breading. With the help of your air fryer, the tuna steaks come out super crispy and flaky. Served on the side are fried avocado slices, which are also made in the air fryer. The avocado slices get a light breading of plain parmesan cheese, which happens to be a Keto secret for fried foods. A generous helping of homemade tartar sauce pairs perfectly with the creamy avocado and your main fish. At your discretion, you can add additional flavorings to the tartar sauce, since this recipe keeps things simple. You may also use this recipe in your meal prepping rotation.

Picking The Right Tuna

When cooking a meal such as this one, you want to choose the best quality tuna you can find. Look for albacore, yellowtail, ahi, or bigeye tuna, which are the typical varieties cut into loins and steaks. Like other fish, look for bright colors and clean lines in the flesh. And if you’re purchasing your tuna fresh, fresh fish should never smell “fishy”. However, frozen tuna steaks are completely acceptable to use in the recipe, so long as they look healthy as described.

Keto Frying Secret

Use this handy tip the next time you want to fry your food without adding carbs to your meal. If you’re using an air fryer or baking something in your oven, you can coat your ingredients in grated parmesan cheese. Just make sure to cook your food at a high temperature! Since parmesan is a hard cheese, it can withstand higher temperatures and maintain its integrity while toasting to a golden brown. It’s such a mild flavor, so it won’t overpower your food either.

Ingredients

8 oz, boneless tuna yellowfin raw
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tbsp, grated parmesan cheese, fresh (hard)
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon italian seasoning
⅛ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
2 oz avocado
2 tbsp, grated parmesan cheese, fresh (hard)
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon white wine
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
5 drops liquid stevia
1 oz dill pickles
½ teaspoon capers
½ teaspoon dill weed, fresh
1 dash salt
⅛ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Prepare 4-ounce tuna steaks by sprinkling a small pinch of salt and pepper on one side of each portion. For this recipe, you need steaks that are at least 1-inch thick. Set the tuna steaks aside, and make your air fryer breading on a clean plate. Combine almond flour, parmesan cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, italian seasoning, and lemon pepper seasoning. If your lemon pepper seasoning does not include salt, you may wish to include an extra pinch of salt in the breading.
Turn on your air fryer to preheat to 375 degrees. You do not need to dredge the tuna steaks before breading them. Use a clean hand to press each tuna steak into your plate of breading, making sure all exposed sides are coated. Flip the steaks and roll the edges in the breading as necessary to ensure a full but thin layer of coverage. Arrange all breaded tuna steaks on your air fryer tray.
Cook the tuna steaks for 20 minutes or until the tops of the tuna steaks are golden brown and the tuna is cooked through. This recipe makes a well-done tuna steak. For a more rare steak, turn the air fryer up to as high as 425 degrees and cook until the breading on top of the steaks turn golden. Allow the finished tuna steaks to rest while the avocado slices are frying in the following steps.
While the tuna steaks are in the air fryer, you can prepare the remainder of the recipe. Choose a slightly under-ripe or just ripe avocado. It’s better for the avocado to be a little on the firmer side. You can keep your avocado in the refrigerator overnight to keep it firm for the recipe. Slice the avocado into slices (about 6 pieces per serving). On a clean plate, arrange grated parmesan cheese. You may add extra parmesan cheese at your discretion to ensure you have enough to coat your avocado in the next step.
One by one, roll the press the avocado slices in the grated parmesan cheese. The cheese should easily stick to the avocado without any type of dredging. Arrange all the coated avocado slices on a clean air fryer tray. When the air fryer is available, you will cook the avocado slices at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Similar to the tuna steaks, look for a light golden crust to check for doneness. The avocado slices should maintain their integrity but will be very lightweight and soft to bite into.
You will also make a tartar sauce. Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and liquid stevia. Finely mince your pickles, capers, and fresh dill, and add these ingredients to the sauce. Stir in salt and a pinch of onion powder to complete your tartar sauce. Each serving should include 1 tuna steak, 5-6 slices of avocado, and about 1 ¼ ounce tartar sauce (by weight). At your discretion, include Keto garnishes like chopped green onion, dill, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.