Pan Seared Mahimahi with Basil Butter

This recipe for Pan Seared Mahimahi with Basil Butter is a simple recipe for every seafood lover. Key West fresh Mahi is seared and served in a lemon butter sauce with julienned basil leaves.

This recipe is Low Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free, and Paleo friendly. All ingredients are fresh and unprocessed.

Jump to:

• Fresh Fish in Key West
• The Key to Cooking Fresh Fish
• About Mahimahi
• How To Defrost Mahi
• What You Need to Cook Mahimahi
• How to Make Basil Butter Sauce
• How to Cook Mahi on The Stove
• Garnish For Mahi
• How to Sear Mahimahi
• Helpful Tips for Cooking Fish
• What To Do With Leftover Fish
• How To Store Leftovers
• Try These Fresh Florida Keys Seafood Recipes:
• "📖 Recipe"

Fresh Fish in Key West

Florida mahimahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is one of the prized jewels of the Florida Keys.

Mahimahi is the Hawaiian name for what we call dolphin or dolphinfish in Key Largo. Also known as dorado, the mild pink fish is abundant in the Keys.

When you're in a restaurant in The Keys, your server will ask you if you'd like to hear the daily specials; he or she will undoubtedly utter the words, "Our fresh fish today is Mahi." It's everywhere!

You want to cook and eat Mahi the day it is caught and with minimal effort, you'll have a restaurant-quality dinner to remember.

The Key to Cooking Fresh Fish

The key to cooking fish is getting the best fresh fish you can find.

You can order fresh mahi, spiny lobsters, stone crabs, and yellowtail snappers, online from my friends at Key Largo Fisheries. Everything is fresh and they'll overnight it right to your home.

About Mahimahi

Mahi is a big blue and green fish with firm pink flesh. The fish is usually about 3 feet long and weighs 20 to 30 pounds.

It has a mild sweet flavor. It does taste like fish, but not too fishy.

The fish holds up well in a skillet and on the grill and it's easy to cook. Its meat is firmer and less flaky than yellowtail or flounder.

How To Defrost Mahi

The easiest way to defrost is to leave the fish on a plate in the refrigerator overnight. 

If the Mahi is frozen in a vacuum-sealed bag, you can defrost it in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for about an hour or so.

Loose pieces of fish should be defrosted on a plate in the refrigerator.

Defrosting any fish on the countertop makes it susceptible to bacterial overgrowth and should be avoided.

What You Need to Cook Mahimahi

FOR THE BASIL BUTTER SAUCE

You can easily double or triple this recipe. I kept it to a half stick of butter.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 large garlic clove minced or pressed
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh basil leaves stemmed and chopped + whole leaves for garnish

FOR THE MAHI

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds mahimahi fillets
• Sea salt and pepper
• 2 lemons, sliced into wedges for serving

How to Make Basil Butter Sauce

This sauce is simple to make, and it tastes great.

To make it, combine unsalted butter with fresh lemon juice, a big clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and a few thinly sliced basil leaves in a small pot over low heat.

Give it a whisk, cover the pot, and let it warm while you're preparing the fish.

How to Cook Mahi on The Stove

Follow these directions to cook mahi in a skillet in under 10 minutes.

1. If you have fresh fish, cut away the bloodline running down the center. The skin should be removed if present.
2. Cut into four equal-sized pieces, 4 to 6 ounces each. Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Salt and pepper the fish on both sides
4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place fish in the hot skillet.
5. Cook for about 4 minutes on the first side, and put the smooth skin side down on the pan. Depending on the thickness of the filets, cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Please do not move the fish; it will sear better if it is not moved.
6. Remove from the pan with a spatula. Mahi should be thick enough to pick up with tongs.

Garnish For Mahi

For any fish garnish, you should be pulling in some leaves or an herb that is already in the dish.

For this mahi, select beautiful whole and unblemished basil leaves from your basil plant and scatter them over your dish.

Lemon wedges should garnish every plate of cooked fish.

How to Sear Mahimahi

Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the butter melts. Cover and keep warm while you cook the fish over low heat.

• Cut away the bloodline if present.
• Rinse and pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish for 3 minutes; then turn (with a fish turner or wide spatula) and cook until just opaque, about 2-3 minutes more, or until cooked through. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish.
• Transfer the fillets to individual plates.
• Spoon the warm basil butter over the fish.
• Garnish with whole basil leaves and lemon wedges.

Helpful Tips for Cooking Fish

• Figure 6 ounces or one small filet per person.
• Defrost the fish before cooking.
• Wash and pat dry the fish with a paper towel before cooking to get a good sear.
• Preheat the pan and oil before adding the fish.
• Let the fish cook without moving it around too much. It only needs to be flipped once.
• The internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit when cooked through.

What To Do With Leftover Fish

Leftover mahi makes the best breakfast the next day, at least that's how I eat it. You can also make fish tacos wrapped in warm tortillas with shredded cabbage or top a big green salad with the fish, either cold or heated.

How To Store Leftovers

To store leftovers, place the fish in an airtight container for up to two days. You can reheat it in a small hot skillet with a little unsalted butter (or the basil butter sauce) for 2 minutes.

Try These Fresh Florida Keys Seafood Recipes:

• Florida Keys Pink Shrimp Salad
• Fish Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Lime Salsa
• Baked Yellowtail with Old Bay
• Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Sesame Dipping Sauce
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Shrimp Tacos with Pico de Gallo
• Oven Baked Coconut Shrimp with Mango Dipping Sauce
• Pan-Fried Yellowtail
• Blackened Swordfish
• Peel and Eat Key West Shrimp
• Florida Keys Stone Crabs with Mustard Sauce

This recipe is for Pan Seared Mahimahi with Basil Butter is adapted from Paula Deen at PaulaDeen.com.

"📖 Recipe"