Light, flaky Mahi Mahi is a perfect healthy fish to make for easy weeknight dinners. Serve it topped with your favorite seasonings or a simple pan sauce for a complete meal. Top your seared and oven roasted fillets with savory lemon garlic sauce at the last minute and serve up a gourmet dinner in minutes.
What is Mahi Mahi?
Mahi Mahi is a popular flaky white fish that’s easy to find a most fish stores and supermarkets. The flesh is firm and the fish is often sold in portioned fillets that are easy to prepare at home with any of your favorite flavors.
What Does Mahi Mahi Taste Like?
Mahi Mahi has a very mild taste. For this reason, it soaks up any sauce or seasoning you add to it. The fish is flaky, but firm.
How to make Mahi Mahi
Combine the softened butter, chopped fresh chives or parsley, minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl.
Pat the mahi mahi fillets dry with paper towels.
*Sprinkle both sides of each fillet with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
In a large, oven-proof skillet, such as a cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil over high heat.
When the oil is very hot, add the fish fillets and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes (try not to disturb the fish as they sear) Carefully flip the fish fillets.
Turn off the heat on the stove, and immediately transfer the entire skillet to the preheated oven. Roast for about 5 minutes, or just until the top is golden and the center is cooked through.
Remove the pot from the heat and pour the sauce mixture over the cooked fish. Serve immediately.
Best Way to Cook Mahi Mahi at Home?
The best way to cook mahi mahi at home for fast weeknight dinners that are still packed with flavor and moisture is to pan-sear the fillets and finish them in the oven. For this method, you’ll need an oven-safe skillet large enough to hold all of the fish fillets. Cast iron is the best material to sear the fish and it’s oven=safe.
After the fish finish cooking in the oven, which takes about 5 minutes after searing, drench them in a silky, flavorful sauce. This one features plenty of melted butter, fresh minced garlic and lemon juice and zest for richness, brightness, and acidity.
Other Ways to Prepare Mahi Mahi
You can also prepare mahi mahi in other ways at home. For example, you can place the fillets on a baking sheet and roast them until cooked through. Or you can fire up the outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan and sear the fish, then move it to lower heat to finish cooking.
Another oven-cooked method for the fish is to broil the fillets. Be sure to watch them carefully, however, as broilers can burn things quickly!
Seasoning Mahi Mahi
Because mahi mahi has such a mild flavor on its own, don’t be afraid to season it well. At the bare minimum, use a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Spice blends, dried seasoning s and sauce mixtures are also more interesting ways to season the fish.
How to serve Mahi Mahi?
Depending on how you prepare the fish and what flavors you use, there are hundreds of ways to serve mahi mahi. It’s a light and healthy protein option, so why not pair it with fresh and crunchy sides? Sales, salads, light soups, and vegetable stir-fries are all great side dishes to accompany any mahi-mahi recipe.
Mahi Mahi with Lemon Garlic Sauce: ingredients
Lemon Garlic Sauce
2 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Fish
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (1-inch thick each) mahi-mahi fillets
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven.
Combine the softened butter, chopped fresh chives or parsley, minced garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl.
Pat the mahi mahi fillets dry with paper towels.*
Sprinkle both sides of each fillet with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.
In a large, oven-proof skillet, such as a cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the fish fillets and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes (try not to disturb the fish as they sear)
Carefully flip the fish fillets. Turn off the heat on the stove, and immediately transfer the entire skillet to the preheated oven.
Roast for about 5 minutes, or just until the top is golden and the center is cooked through. Check the fish often so as not to overcook.
A minute before fish is finished cooking, heat the lemon garlic sauce mixture over medium-high heat. Stir the sauce constantly until melted. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the sauce mixture over the cooked fish. Serve immediately.
Notes
*Patting the fish dry ensures that the fillets will get a nice crisp crust as they cook.
