This mahi mahi recipe is a traditional, healthy, and easy fish recipe from the island of Majorca, very popular in the fall (autumn) and a great excuse to organize dining parties by the sea in the fall months.
In the Mediterranean, particularly along the coast of Mallorca the mahi mahi fishing season goes from the middle of August until the end of November, but the best mahi mahi recipes are cooked with the fish caught during the month of September after the first summer storms with lightning and thunder.
Hence, it is said Per haver-hi llampugues ha de llampejar, which means: ‘If you want to catch mahi mahi fish, there must be lightning’. Even the name of mahi mahi in Catalan, llampuga, contains the word llamp or lightning in English, which is a reference to the mahi mahi’s lightning-fast velocity.
You can easily buy mahi mahi fish for this Mediterranean recipe as it is available in many places worldwide such as Hawaii, where the name mahi mahi comes from, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast of Florida, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, etc., always in warm waters.
Mahi Mahi is an oily fish, thus a rich source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. In this Majorcan heirloom recipe for Mahi Mahi we combine this dolphin fish, as it is also called, with juicy red sweet peppers, which make the mahi mahi recipe very savory and succulent.
Mahi Mahi recipe ingredients
Serves four
- 2 pounds fresh mahi mahi (2 fishes of about 1 pound each is best) — cut into thick 2.5 cm or 1-inch pieces or fillets
- 2 red bell peppers — cut into big pieces lengthwise
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic — crushed with the skin
- 5 to 7 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper
How to cook mahi mahi
Preparation time: About 20 minutes
Cooking time: Around 45 to 60 minutes
- Salt and pepper the fish pieces. We recommend very little pepper, a pinch or so. Place the fish in a colander and let it drain the fish juices.
- In the meantime add 5 tablespoons olive oil to a Dutch oven or similar cooking casserole and when it is hot add the red pepper pieces, the crushed garlic and the bay leaf. Cook over medium heat until they become a little tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the pepper and set aside. Check the remaining olive oil and if there is only a little left, add one or two more tablespoons olive oil. In this mahi mahi recipe you need to use olive oil liberally because the flesh of mahi mahi fish tends to be a little bit dry.
- Add the mahi mahi fish pieces and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. When you see the top of the mahi mahi pieces becoming white, it’s time to turn them over. Fry the other side for 2 minutes and turn down heat to low. Add the pepper pieces you set aside, placing them on top and on the sides of the fish and cover. At this point you can remove the garlic cloves if you like or you can leave them until the end if you prefer a stronger garlic taste.
- Cook covered for about half an hour checking that there is enough juice in the casserole. Shake the Dutch oven now and then to prevent sticking.
- Serve warm and if your guests don’t eat all of the mahi mahi fish, don’t worry, this mahi mahi recipe is amazingly delicious in the evening at room temperature.
What’s your best mahi mahi recipe? Share your experience in the comments below!!!
