So you may be thinking that we sure eat Mahi Mahi often. The fact is we couldn't pass up a sale and stocked the freezer with half-priced Mahi Mahi. Until recently, I had only ordered it in restaurants and never really entertained the idea of adding it to our books of ever-growing recipes. However, we do enjoy it as an alternative to wild-caught Salmon and Grouper. There are a couple things I have learned about Mahi Mahi. The first of which is that it is easy to overcook, leading to a tough texture. Traditionally, fish is cooked a total of 9 minutes per inch of thickness (4 1/2 minutes per side), but these days I see chefs often cooking it less so that it remains shiny and moist inside. The second is that this fish is pretty high in cholesterol. This could be potentially useful for those who are on restricted diets.
I prepared this meal last week. The focal point of the dish for me is the sauce. This is often the case as I truly love sauces.
INGREDIENTS
2 6-ounce Mahi Mahi fillets
salt and white pepper
3 ounces butter
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced
DIRECTIONS
Slice the Mahi Mahi fillet on a bias into 6-ounce portions.
Gently saute the Mahi Mahi in 1 & 1/2 ounces of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the Mahi Mahi to a plate lined with a towel (to absorb excess butter).
Pour the fat out of the saute pan. Gently mop out any remaining fat with a paper towel.
Deglaze the pan with the vermouth and white wine and reduce by 2/3.
Add the cream and reduce to the desired consistency.
Add the lemon zest and half of the juice to the sauce and cook for 1 minute.
Finish the sauce by whisking in the remaining butter.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh into a small saucepan.
Adjust the seasonings and serve over or around the Mahi Mahi.
The sweet potato mash is pretty simple and straight forward. This is an excellent alternative to mashed potatoes and compliments just about any meal-plan.
INGREDIENTS
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Boil the potato cubes for 20 minutes.
Strain the potato cubes and return to the pot.
Heat the milk and butter and add to the potato cubes.
Mix and mash the potato cubes, milk and butter.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
For this meal, I also made a spinach salad with a shallot-thyme vinaigrette. I learned how to make this salad from Hugh Acheson at Five&Ten. This is one of my favorite salads of all time. It consists of organic, baby spinach leaves, thick-cut, non-cured, apple-wood smoked bacon, crumbled bleu cheese, candied pecans, and pear. My version does differ from his in that he no longer uses the candied pecans or bacon. For the shallot-thyme vinaigrette, I used the following recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup olive oil
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large shallot, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and blend until emulsified. If you like infusions, make this dressing the night before and strain before using.
This meal took me about an hour to put together, but it was worth it. I plated the food by placing a portion of the sweet potato mash just off center. I leaned the Mahi Mahi against the mash and sauced around and over. The salad involved dressing all the spinach in a large bowl, portioning to cold bowls, and adding the other ingredients on top. I like to slice the pear thinly to form a fan for fun.
If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? ~Ymber Delecto
Hey Swen! Do you let your pan get super heated before you put the fish in so it will get a good sear on it? If so, do you get as good as a sear as you would using olive oil instead of butter?
ReplyDeletethanks and I enjoy reading your blog!
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteMedium high heat is what I usually strive for- 60 to 70% of absolute high. If your butter is smoking, it's usually burning. Non-clarified butter contains milk solids which like to burn pretty easily. And if you're using olive oil the same thing applies. Generally, olive oil is more heat tolerant and perfect for higher temperature searing. In fact I always sear with olive oil, especially when we have Tuna.
What I'm trying to achieve with this recipe lies in deglazing the pan for the sauce. With a super heated pan, those tasty little bits of fish, fat, and milk solids would end up burned and throw off the taste of the sauce. If you like your fish a little more crispy, you might try using a broiler at very close range for a short amount of time. That way you can get just the right crisp without overcooking the fillet(s). Above all, I think it's a matter of preference. We can never go wrong with or own tastes.
I'm pleased to know you like the blog thus far. It's definitely a work in progress, but we are having fun.
Hope this helps...