Seared Mahi-Mahi

by Garrett

mahi mahi

Seared slices of Mahi-Mahi with vanilla and lemon puree. Along side are beet poached potatoes, charred scallions, and parsley aioli.

Mahi-Mahi is a firm fleshed, lean white fish. Mahi, loosely translated from Hawaiian, means “strong” and these large fish are known for their fight on the line. Although they are an open-ocean predatory fish, the moderate demand means Mahi Mahi are not overfished and therefore are classified as a “good alternative” to other fish, like Chilean Seabass, in terms of their environmental impact. The fish is succulent, somewhere between the texture of a sea bass and a very firm-fleshed fish like Halibut. The meat is sweet and mild in flavor, and the sauces in this dish compliment the flavor of the fish as opposed to overpowering it. The potatoes are poached until fork-tender in a double vegetable stock then soaked in beet juice before being coated in browned butter and baked. The scallions are poached in the same stock and charred with a poulét of brown butter and garlic. Although vanilla sounds bizarre with fish, combined with the lemon it adds a unique and surprisingly complimentary flavor to the Mahi-Mahi.

This stunning photograph was taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!