Spicy Caribbean Mahi Mahi
Looking for a new way to cook fish? This easy poached fish recipe takes you to the islands. Spicy Caribbean Mahi Mahi is a healthy fish dinner that’s ready in under an hour.
My grandparents are from the islands. Martinique. A little French island in the Lesser Antilles. Our family dinners are largely influenced by the regional fare from that little outpost plopped in the middle of an azure blue sea.
Spicy Caribbean Mahi-Mahi is a prime example of that. This dish is a standard in our house — like mac and cheese or chicken fingers for most families.
Actually, that’s not even what we call it. In our family this dish is referred to as Court Bouillon (Pronounced cooh-booh-yahn). If you look up “Court Bouillon” online or in cookbooks, you’ll find recipes for a poaching liquid infused with wine, herbs and aromatics for gently cooking fish, shellfish and other proteins.
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I guess the translation makes sense, this is a poached fish recipe, but with the spicy tomato broth it eats like a meal. I’ve been making it since I was about 20 and maybe I’m biased, but it’s my favorite way to make MahiMahi, or any fish. I’ve made it with snapper, cod — even Walleye!
And it couldn’t be simpler. Start by very gently sweating the shallots, green onions and garlic until they are practically translucent. Then add some good quality tomato sauce and thin it out with a bit of water. Red pepper flakes add heat — though my grandfather would make his own scotch bonnet pepper sauce to add to the simmering liquid. You can add a few bay leaves while the sauce simmers too.
Then it’s time to add the fish. Gently place the mahi (or whatever fish you’re using) in the broth, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and poach for 5-6 minutes until it’s about halfway cooked. Gently turn the fish and continue the spicy tomato bath!
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley right before serving will add a bright pop of flavor. Serve this over sticky white rice – not the Uncle Ben’s converted rice – you want a starchier variety that will soak up the goodness.
We like this with a cool cucumber salad and a hot crust of french bread. Don’t forget the wine. It goes equally well with a red or white — I know that from experience.
More tasty fish dinners you’ll love:
- Crunchy Salmon Cakes
- Grilled Swordfish Steaks
- How To Make Easy Pan Seared Glazed Salmon
- Crispy Baked Fish Tacos
- Caribbean Grilled Yellowtail Snapper Recipe with Easy Aioli
- Hogfish Adriatic Hails From Islamorada
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Spicy Caribbean Mahi Mahi
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound mahi mahi fillets cut into four portions
- 5-6 green scallions thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 shallots thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces good quality tomato sauce
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 grinds of black pepper
- ¾ cup water divided
- juice of half a lemon
- chopped parsley for garnish
Serve with
- 2 cups cooked long grain white rice – you want the rice to be sticky — NOT converted rice.
DIRECTIONS:
- Add the olive oil and heat over medium-low heat in a 9″ or 10″ skillet with a tight fitting lid. Add the scallions, garlic and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and translucent about 10-15 minutes. (Don’t crank up the heat – you don’t want these vegetables to brown).
- Add the tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup water. Stir to combine and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce has thickened somewhat, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the remaining ¼ cup water and place the fish fillets in the poaching liquid. Put the lid on securely and poach the fish on low to medium-low heat for about 8 minutes. Using tongs or a spatula, flip the fish over and continue to poach for an additional 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and chopped parsley. Serve on top of sticky white rice. A cool cucumber salad is good with this to take the heat off.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!
I previously commented about tying this out with tilapia and Ms. Lisa was very quick and kind in letting me know how how long to poach! I tried this out last night and it was a hit with my husband. I added in more of seasonings, especially the red pepper flakes and also added in some old bay (we like a lot of kick). We ate ours over jasmine rice and had some shrimp to go with it. Thanks so much, Lisa!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it, Veronica! Love your additions! Happy New Year!
we don’t have mahi mahi easily accesible where we live, so I was think of trying this with tilapia fillets (easy to get and very cheap). I know this will change the flavor as tilapia is a white fish, but could you tell me how long to poach using tilapia? Again, I understand the flavor will be a bit different, but this looks so good I have to at least give it a try!
it just depends on how thick the fish is, my Mahi fillets are usually around 1/2 – 1″ thick. I would poach for about 6 minutes on one side, then flip for another 4-5 on the other. Test the fish by flaking off a bit of the end to verify it’s opaque… it should still be moist. If it needs more time, cover and give it a few more minutes.
Very good!
Soooo good! Highly recommend
So glad you enjoyed it, Lisa. This is an old family favorite.
Thank you for this fast and delicious recipe! We loved it.
So glad you enjoyed it, Fay! We make it all the time in our house!
Wow. Made this tonight and it was fantabulous!!! Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Devennie! We have this regularly in our house because it’s so easy and good!
This was good but not Spicey at all. Next time I will use different chili powders and oregano to give it slight flavor. Also I added black beans on the side. Very good over all just not spicey! 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe…great addition to anyone’s repitoire
I’m glad you like it Carol, we have it regularly!
Family recipes are so special, and this sounds like the type of fish dish I would love! I haven’t had Mahi Mahi in ages, and now I need to find some asap. It must be so flavorful poached in that beautiful sauce. Your grandfather’s scotch bonnet pepper sauce sounds amazing, too! What a great addition it must make to a dish like this.
Ok this is the BEST ‘standard’ dish anyone’s household has ever had!! I just love all of the flavors going on here, and paired with the Mahi Mahi? Just delicious!! Cant wait to try this one out
Glad you like it, Donna – it’s definitely not mac and cheese, but we eat it up!
Oooo I want this! Mahi mahi is a fish I haven’t played around with enough, but I ate it several times in Florida this March, and loved it. (It was a little disconcerting to see it listed as ‘dolphin’ on restaurant menus! haha!) I need to try your version- yummmm
That’s true – people are always put off when they see Dolphin on the menu — But Dolphin, Mahi Mahi, Dorado, it’s all the same — and it’s a really meaty fish. Wish I’d known you were here in March, we could have gotten together!
This sounds absolutely SPECTACULAR. I love fish in general, and while I don’t get the opportunity to have mahi mahi all that often, I’ve always enjoyed it. I need to explore Caribbean dishes more in general, and this reminds me why! It’s fascinating to me that your family calls it Court Bouillon – I’m only familiar with that term in the more France-specific way you mention. But then, French culinary terms often take a life of their own in historical colonies. Cajun food is full of French terms that differ pretty markedly from their France-French progenitors. I always think of the penny-red roux used to make gumbo, which would shock and appall a French chef who asked for a ‘roux’! Anyway, thank you for the lovely dish, and the peek into a little known culinary culture!
You’re so right, Sean — that red roux would have a chef tossed on his ear in France! This is a very simple, but well layered dish! I hope you enjoy it.
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it tonight! I’m just wondering, the nutritional information is just for the fish, does not include the rice?
Yes, that’s right — it doesn’t include the rice in the nutritional info!
I am totally loving the Caribbean flavors in your sauce. Mahi Mahi is a strong enough fish to hold up to this strong and tasty sauce. You totally need all the rice, and then some, to soak up any leftover sauce.
Thanks, Peter! This is a dish I’ve eaten all my life and the mahi is my favorite fish in it!
Love this recipe, we are big fans of Mahi Mahi. Mind if we share it with our audience?
What a simple, and flavorful curry Lisa! Absolutely delicious! <3
No curry in this one, Tina — that’s just a spicy tomato broth!
That sounds delicious and very similar to a dish I used to cook with cod when I lived in the UK, lovely recipe.
This sounds and looks amazing! I love making fish, but have never once tried poaching it. It’s extra perfect because we’ve been eating fish at least once a week this summer, so I foresee giving this a try very soon! I’ll take mine with a glass of white. 🙂
I’m glad you like it, Monica. It’s a family favorite!
This looks like a delicious fish recipe, yum!
I ran right over when I read the name of this recipe, it sounds fabulous ~ I might go low carb and serve it right on top of the cucumber salad you mention!
You can skip the rice altogether — and maybe do a cauliflower rice for a low carb alternative! Hope you enjoy it!