Citrus Roasted Mahi-Mahi

I confess, I do not cook fish as often as I should, despite the fact that three of the four of us love it, and it typically makes an easy (and fast) meal. Salmon, swordfish, and mahi-mahi are my three go-to choices at the fish counter of our favorite market.

Leaving the soccer fields yesterday afternoon, I asked the Boy if steak (which was sitting in the refrigerator) would be too heavy before his next match. It was a tournament weekend, and he has been pretty diligent about taking his coaches direction on eating healthier. He gave me a look that replaced the typical response of  “duh” and asked for fish, instead, so I made a quick turn into the grocery store. At the counter, his choice was the mahi. We grabbed lemons, a few extra limes (margaritas go down a treat with this, as well as a crisp white wine) and we were on our way home.

I love this recipe for roasted mahi-mahi – it’s super easy, and only needs a few ingredients. It’s simple enough for a busy weeknight but elegant enough for dinner with friends.

When I got home, I realized that my grill is inconveniently located in the center of my backyard, surrounded by piles of pool construction debris. It was also probably due a good scrub down, given the concrete splatters on its cover and the layer of dust coating the outside windows, so roasting it seemed a safer bet.

This recipe has lemon and lime zest rubbed into the fish before cooking, and lemon and lime juice in a  vinaigrette that you spoon over the top just before serving. The beauty of the vinaigrette is that you can make it ahead of time or once you’ve put the fish in the oven. (I tend to do it after the fish is in the oven because I prefer to zest my citrus before I’ve cut it up.)

So while the oven is preheating to 400°F, rinse lemons and limes, then zest into a shallow bowl or a plate. (How many lemons you need depend on the size of the lemon – one should do it. My limes were tiny so I needed two.)

Cut one lemon and lime in half.

Rinse the mahi-mahi, pat dry,  and place onto a baking sheet that has been rubbed with olive oil (OR lined with parchment paper, if you have it.)
Rub fish with olive oil, then rub in lemon zest and lime zest.

Squeeze juice from one half lemon onto fish, then season with salt and pepper to taste. (Just a pinch of salt is ALL you need! It will get so much flavor from the zest.)

Pop your fish in the oven and roast  until the fish fillets are just opaque in the center, about 10 minutes.

But wait – there’s more to do while the fish is cooking. Time to prepare the vinaigrette (but as I mentioned before, you can do this BEFORE you prepare the fish, too. In fact, you can prepare the vinaigrette the day before – just whisk it well before serving. If you do this, though, I like to bring it back to room temperature before spooning it over the fishies).

But I digress – back to the vinaigrette. I love this vinaigrette as it’s made from ingredients I always have on hand and takes just a few minutes of prep to throw together! If you don’t have the lime, an orange makes a lovely substitute (and tastes lush on a salad or grilled veggies as well.)

Take the remaining lemon half and squeeze 2 tbsp.(ish)  juice into a glass bowl or glass measuring cup. Next, take one lime half and squeeze juice into the glass bowl, then whisk in the Dijon mustard.
Slowly whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil, then stir in one minced shallot. (I confess – for vinaigrettes, I cheat with jarred diced shallots, because my kids can be funny about textures.)  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Plate the fish and spoon vinaigrette over the top.

Serve immediately! I like to serve this up with steamed green beans (they can steam while the fish is cooking) and either brown rice or couscous (also fast and easy).

The vinaigrette is divine (and you can easily double it to top a salad or as a marinated for grilled veggies for tomorrow).

When you have a busy schedule with after school activities, it’s all too easy to leave out fish as a fast dinner option, but it is a great alternative for a light meal! I need to make sure that we put fish back into a more regular rotation this summer.

Are you a fan of fish? What’s your favorite fish to grill or roast?