Paleo Asian Ginger Mahi Mahi

2012-11-26
I had never cooked Mahi Mahi before this recipe, and I am so glad I decided to try something new!  My discovery of Mahi Mahi occurred on a trip to Sam’s Club.  Unfortunately, our Commissary does not have a fresh seafood section, but luckily Sam’s and a few other grocery stores are close enough for me to go out of my routine to shop there for special things like seafood or proteins like buffalo.

On this occasion I was in search of seafood that was wild-caught.  I may not be really strict with my selection of beef and poultry in terms of buying grass-fed (due to availability and cost), but I only buy wild-caught seafood.  Next time you are in the grocery store (if you are lucky enough to have a fresh seafood section), compare a farm-raised and wild-caught salmon filet.  The color alone makes it obvious which one is the better choice.  The farm-raised looks like an anemic pink, while the wild-caught is like the color salmon from a Crayola crayon.  You should notice a flavor difference as well.  Unfortunately, Sam’s Club only has farm-raised salmon, but they had wild-caught Mahi-Mahi.  I decided to go home and google Mahi-Mahi recipes.

I found an intriguing recipe on Food.com, but decided to swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos to make it Paleo.  Also, their directions of this recipe were to pan fry, but I didn’t want to worry about over- or under-cooking the fish.  I then googled a recipe that showed baked Mahi Mahi, and that ended up working perfectly!  I have now made this recipe twice, and baking the fish results in a more worry-free perfection.  I recommend serving this with some chopped napa cabbage.  Just drizzle some of the warm sauce over the cabbage and it will soften the leaves a little bit for a scrumptiously warm side salad.  This dish also goes perfectly with Cauliflower Rice.

To make this recipe Paleo, I substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 Mahi Mahi Fillets
  • 3 tbs soy sauce or coconut aminos
  • 1 crushed garlic cloves or 2 grated cloves
  • 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tbs olive oil or 2 tbs coconut oil
  • 3 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs grated fresh ginger
  • red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

  • 1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  • 2. Season mahi mahi fillets with salt and pepper, and place them in the shallow dish.
  • 3. Cover, refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
  • 4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • 5. Reserving the marinade, remove fish and saute in pan for 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with fork.
  • 6. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
  • 7. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil to thicken to a glazed consistency.
  • 8. Spoon glaze over fish and serve immediately.