3 Ways to Tell When Tuna Steak Is Done Without Cutting It

Use the fingertip test Rare tuna feels soft and gives easily, like pressing your thumb into the pad of your palm when your hand is relaxed. Medium feels springy, like the same pad when you touch your thumb to your middle finger. Well done feels firm, like pressing your thumb to your pinky.

Watch for the color shift Raw tuna is deep red and translucent. As it cooks, the outside turns opaque and beige, but the center stays darker. When you see a thin white line of cooked flesh about 1/8 inch in on the side, that is medium-rare.

Trust the poke, not the knife Tuna is best rare to medium-rare. Overcooked tuna is dry and mealy. A rare center is fine, and cutting into it just lets the juices run out.