Garlic-Shoyu Seared Ahi Steaks with Garlic Bok Choy

Ahi on a weeknight does not need a sweet glaze or a scoop of rice. Hot pan, garlic, a splash of shoyu, and the steaks take a hard sear. Baby bok choy in the same garlic habit soaks up what drips off the fish. That is the whole plate.

I’m Mark. I cook this when the Costco ahi pack is in, or when the fish counter looks better than the frozen bag. It is fast, salty, and garlicky, and I keep the sugar out of the pan on purpose.

Yield: 2 servings  |  Prep: 10 minutes  |  Cook: 12 minutes  |  Total: about 22 minutes

Hawaii Grocery Notes

• Costco: ahi (tuna) steaks when they have them; stock varies. Avocado oil. Butter. Baby bok choy when the pack looks crisp, not yellow.
• Foodland / Times: fresh ahi steaks at the fish counter when they look better than your thawed pack. Shoyu (read the label and pick one with no sugar or corn syrup). Garlic. Baby bok choy or won bok. Green onion optional.
• Don Quijote: more shoyu choices; chili pepper water. Skip bottled teriyaki, sweet garlic sauces, and anything labelled pineapple.
• No rice. No mirin glaze. No cornstarch slurry. No pineapple.

Ingredients

• 2 ahi steaks (~6 oz / 170 g each), about 1 inch thick, patted very dry
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons shoyu (or tamari; coconut aminos works, see notes)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (for the pan sauce)
• Pinch chili flakes or chili pepper water at the table (optional)

Garlic bok choy

• 1 lb baby bok choy, halved lengthwise, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or another 1 tablespoon avocado oil)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch of salt, to taste (the shoyu is salty)

To finish

• 1 green onion, sliced (optional)
• Lemon or lime wedges (optional)

Instructions

1. Pat the ahi dry again. Pepper both sides. Skip the salt; the shoyu brings plenty.
2. Stir the 2 tablespoons shoyu with the 4 minced garlic cloves in a small bowl. Keep it next to the stove.
3. Heat the avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Lay the steaks in and sear 1.5-2.5 minutes on the first side without moving them, until the outside browns. Flip.
4. On the second side, pour the garlic-shoyu around (and a little over) the steaks. Sear another 1-2 minutes for a pink center, or 1-2 minutes more if you want them cooked through. Spoon the pan sauce over once. Move the steaks to a plate. Do not walk away; ahi goes from seared to dry fast.
5. Drop the heat to medium. Melt the butter in the same skillet, then stir in the remaining garlic for 20-30 seconds until it smells good but has not browned.
6. Add the bok choy cut-side down for 2-3 minutes, then toss 2-3 minutes more until the stems are tender-crisp and the leaves wilt. Splash of water if the pan is dry. Taste before you salt it.
7. Bok choy on the plate, ahi on top, pan garlic-shoyu spooned over, green onion if you have it. Chili pepper water or citrus at the table. No rice.

Kitchen-Estimate Macros (per serving)

Kitchen estimates only, not lab-tested. Calculated for 1 of 2 servings (one ~6 oz steak, half the shoyu-garlic, half the bok choy, half the fat used in the pans). Steak thickness, trim, and how much oil stays in the pan vary.

Calories	Fat	Protein	Net carbs
~335	~14 g	~44 g	~5 g

Notes

• Hidden sugar: bottled teriyaki, sweet garlic sauces, some shoyu, anything with pineapple or mirin in the ingredient list. Read the label before it goes in the cart.
• Coconut aminos instead of shoyu: sweeter and less salty, adds a few grams of net carbs per serving. Taste before you pour.
• Thickness: thicker steaks need a minute more; thinner steaks need less. Pull them when the outside is browned the way you like.
• Greens: won bok or regular bok choy works the same way. Cut large heads into chunks so the stems get a head start.
• Leftovers: leftover ahi is fine cold the next day. Reheating past done turns it dry.
• Want ginger in the butter instead of shoyu in the sear? Make the pan-seared ahi with ginger-garlic butter.
• Other fish nights: miso butter salmon with asparagus, garlic-butter shrimp over zucchini ribbons.

Mark Souza
Honolulu