I just loved the Broiled Steak & Asparagus with Feta Cream Sauce I made last week, but it felt very indulgent to have all that red meat. I think I was feeling a little guilty over that, so I went on the lookout for a lighter main course recipe for this week. This Sun Dried Tomato Basil Mahi Mahi jumped out because it was light, easy, and I’ve never blogged a mahi mahi recipe. Until now, that is. And now for something completely different (and a random Monty Python reference)!
Tender, firm and flaky mahi mahi fillets pan seared with delicious combination of shallots, sun dried tomatoes, and basil. It’s a very simple combination of ingredients but there is so much flavor, it goes perfectly with the fish. You can serve it with many different side dishes as well as in tacos and sandwiches.
The Ingredients
I made a trip to my favorite local fish and meat market, Penn Dutch, and found a lovely 1.7-pound mahi mahi fillet for about $10. (Actually, I made a haul and a half of meat and fish, so much, much more is to come from that trip.)
I found the rest of the ingredients at my usual grocery store. An 8-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes was the most expensive item at $5. This recipe calls for 6 ounces of the tomatoes, but I couldn’t find that size. I ended up eyeballing it and used about 3/4 of the jar.
The Process
This recipe didn’t specify whether the fish needed to be skinless, so I left the skin on. I find it’s easier to remove the skin after the fish is cooked. And even though I had to cut the larger fillet into individual portions (5 total), I still had this recipe made in a mere 24 minutes.
The instructions for this recipe broke down the steps nicely, and they were so easy to follow. However, I do recommend reading the entire accompanying post, especially if you’ve never made mahi mahi.
It’s easy to overcook and dry out this fish, and the author has some tips that I found helpful. Remember, you can always cook it more if it’s underdone, but overdone can’t be fixed. Also, the internal temperature will keep increasing after you remove the fish from the pan. I believe 5-10 degrees is the norm.
I thought the fillet I bought was on the thin side, and I reduced the searing time (Step 4) from 4-5 minutes per side to about 3 minutes per side. The fish is returned to the pan for another minute in Step 6, so it’s okay if it’s a tad undercooked after searing.
