Its name, “Mahi-Mahi,” comes from the Hawaiian language and means “Very Strong.” The ray-finned fish is also known as common dolphinfish but don’t confuse it with the real dolphin. It’s also widely known as Dorado (its Spanish name). This golden-skinned lean fish is commonly found in the waters around Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Indian Ocean.

This fish has a strong texture and can be baked, fried, grilled, broiled, or seared. Whatever cooking method you use, this fish is perfect for all. This is a great, low-priced, fantastic fish that tastes just remarkable and gives a beautiful brownish texture.

 Buy the best mahi-mahi

Many factors determine the freshness and firmness of mahi-mahi. The most important of which is how the fish is caught. The fish selection guided by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch divided the fish into three basic categories depending upon their quality, firmness, and freshness.

According to this website:

• Best – The best mahi-mahi is caught in the U.S. Northwest and Western Central Atlantic Oceans with hand lines and trolling lines.
• Second-best – The second-best mahi-mahi is caught by the U.S Ecuadorian and Panamanian fleets or in the Eastern and Western Central Pacific oceans in the unassociated purse seine fishery. These fishes are ranked second-best because some issues are linked to overfished or at-risk species in these areas.
• Avoid – It is recommended to avoid all other mahi-mahi imported from the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans other than the specified areas for best mahi-mahi.

Note: Whenever you go to the market to buy mahi-mahi, keep the criteria mentioned above in mind and avoid imported mahi-mahi, as most of the mahi-mahi available in the US is imported.

Well, that was some necessary information about the name of this amazing fish. Now let’s get to our amazing recipe that is super easy and gets ready in no time. Once you try this recipe, you will surely add it to your signature recipes for your family dinners and special events.

How to serve Mahi-Mahi?

This recipe of mahi-mahi is so amazing. It will give you the most delicious fish fillets ever. These mahi-mahi fillets are so delicious that you can eat them without any serving options. However, if you like, you can have it with rice, mashed potatoes, or golden bread toast.

They would be great serving partners. You can also pair it up with some green vegetables like asparagus, brussel sprouts, green beans, broccoli, and more of your choice. A salad is always the best option. To make the recipe even more Hawaiian, serve it in a pineapple bowl. Just make a pineapple boat with some coconut rice and wonderful salsa. 

Mahi-Mahi Easy Recipe

Ok, it’s time to jump into the recipe for this delicious Mahi-Mahi. Just follow the instructions, and I promise you’ll make the best Mahi-Mahi ever. 🙂

Ingredients

• 4 Mahi-Mahi Fillets(4 to 6-ounce)
• 1 Lemon (Medium)
• 1 clove of fresh Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1¼ tsp. of Kosher Salt, plus more as needed
• ¼ tsp. of Black Pepper (Crushed)
• 2 tbsps. of Olive Oil
• 4 tbsps. of cold Unsalted Butter (cut into 4 pieces)
• 1 tbsp. of fresh Parsley (Chopped)

Instructions

• Take a medium-sized lemon and cut it into two halves. Squeeze the juice of the first half. The total lemon juice should be 1 ½ tbsp.
• Cut the other half of the lemon into thin slices and set them aside.
• Now pat dry the mahi-mahi fillets with paper towels.
• Season the fillets with 1 tsp of kosher salt and ground black pepper.
• Now take a pan and add extra-virgin olive oil to it. Heat the pan on medium-high flame until it gets hot, and the oil gets a bit smoky.
• Add seasoned mahi-mahi fillets into this oil and sear them until it gets fully seared from the bottom side. Remember! Do not touch or disturb the fillets until their side gets a beautiful brownish texture. It takes about 4 minutes on medium-high flame.
• Flip the side of the fillets and keep searing all the remaining sides until the whole of the fillets are well-cooked and get the same brownish texture.
• Now transfer these fillets to the serving platter.
• Now in the same pan, add lemon juice and crushed garlic. Keep the flame medium-low.
• Add a pinch or ¼ tsp. of kosher salt to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Mix all the ingredients in the pan well. Scrape up any bits of the fish fillets sickened at the bottom of the pan using a wooden spatula.
• Now add lemon slices to the pan. And add butter pieces one by one, i.e., add a piece of butter and wait until it melts completely, and then add the next piece of butter, and so on.
• Turn off the flame and add chopped parsley to the lemon sauce. Stir the parsley well into the sauce. The lemon sauce is ready.
• Pour this sauce over the mahi-mahi fillets.
• Serve it hot and enjoy.

Tips for the best Mahi-Mahi:

1. If you want to make your mahi-mahi fillets a bit spicier, you can adjust the quantity of salt and black pepper as per your choice.
2. Using a cast-iron pan or non-stick pan to sear the mahi-mahi fillets is recommended because the fish doesn’t stick much into these pans.
3. The cooking time per each side of the fillet depends upon the thickness of the fillets. The average cooking time varies from 2 – 4 minutes per side. But you can adjust the time as per thickness. Thicker fillets will take more time to sear.
4. Always remember! The fish must be dry. And the oil must be hot. A dried fish gets a beautiful crunchy texture. It will also get beautiful brown color.