Pan Seared Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Fish Salsa

I love fish and pretty much any kind of seafood.  On those occasions where Hubby and I are able to get a good sitter for our munchkins, we enjoy hitting the town for a grown-up dinner.  We so look forward to these occasional outings that we often anticipate ahead of time what we might order.  As it turns out, I almost always order something that features seafood.  It can be in the form of a pasta, rice, pizza, stew, or potato dish… but seafood tends to have a role in my choices.  I must have passed that seafood love down to my kids, because they also could live on all sorts of ocean fare.  It still boggles my mind that my 8 year old, who couldn’t eat anything solid for the first 2 years of his life due to complications with GERD, is now the kid who wolfs down platefuls of mussels and clams.  Needless to say, fish is a popular protein around here.  So guess what happened when I saw Mahi Mahi at the local market?

Pan searing is a fantastic way to do fish, as it gives the fillet a nice brown “crust” while leaving the middle tender.  As with all methods of cooking fish, it’s important to watch carefully and not overcook it.  When fish is overcooked, it loses its tenderness and becomes dry and tough (not so yum).  My recipe uses Mahi Mahi, but any firm white fish will be great.  Halibut is one of my all time favorites for pan searing, so if you have halibut, go for it.   Your actual cook time will really vary, depending on the cut/thickness of your fillet.  My fillets here were about 1 inch thick.  My cook time would be different for a thicker or thinner fillet.

INGREDIENTS

Four Mahi Mahi fillets (4-6 oz each, about 1 inch thick)
Oil for pan frying (light olive oil works well)
Coarse Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
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1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 ripe mango, diced
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
1 can diced pineapple, drained
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp honey
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

For the Pineapple-Mango Salsa:  Mix the last 9 ingredients together well.  Set aside in fridge.

For the fish:  Sprinkle fillets liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat about 5 TB oil in large frying pan at medium-high until very hot.  Carefully set a fillet in hot oil and sear for 2 minutes – lift pan by the handle frequently and shake the pan back and forth briskly, so the fish is being moved around.  You don’t want the fish to sit in the same spot the entire time and get stuck on the pan.  Carefully flip fish over, and turn heat to medium.  Cook 4 minutes, still lifting and shaking pan here and there.  Immediately remove fish from pan, and repeat for other fillets.  Again, your actual cook time will vary depending on fish fillet thickness.  If you prefer, you can use a thermometer to check for just-doneness.  The fish is done at at 125F.