Mexican Mahi-mahi Topped with Chopped Zucchini

Mexican Mahi-mahi Topped with Chopped Zucchini

 For Christmas Eve, my dinner companion and I decided to make a very special treat. This recipe was again, straight out of Rick Bayless’ cookbook: Everyday Mexican. We made seared mahi-mahi topped with fresh sautéed zucchini, drizzled with a rich garlic sauce and garnished with fresh squeezed lime.

To make this dish, my dinner companion first heated olive oil in a skillet under low and then turned the stove up to medium heat. I washed and prepared the zucchini by chopping it into ¼ inch cubes. He then seared the fish on both sides in the warmed skillet until the skin simply fell off.

When the fish was seared slightly to his liking, he removed the fish from the skillet and cut it into large chunks. He then returned it to the skillet and continued to sear both sides until it was thoroughly cooked and coated with olive oil. The kitchen was starting to smell delicious.

He then dished out the seared mahi-mahi into two portions on plates for each of us. Then, using the oil he had seared the fish in, he browned the garlic in the same skillet. Then he put the browned garlic into a blender with a little fresh ground pepper and a dash of iodized salt. Then he placed the (now minced) garlic back into the skillet. With the minced garlic, he tossed in the zucchini that I had prepared and stirred it in the skillet until it was coated in rich, luscious olive oil and garlic sauce. He put a lid on top of the skillet and sautéed the zucchini for about six minutes.

He then placed the sautéed zucchini with sauce on top of the fish on each plate. Then he added a few slices of lime on the side for flavoring and garnish. Dinner was served. I topped each plate with some fresh ground pepper and really this was all this dish needed.

We enjoyed this dinner immensely. When we paired the fish with our Torrentes white wine, it made for a simple dish that was full to the brim with complex tastes. The fish was flakey and buttery and delicious—you could cut it with a fork. The zucchini was perfectly cooked. We combined the sauce with a fresh squeeze of lime and that made all the difference. This dinner was simple in theory, and fantastic in reality. The wine was sweet, yet savory and complemented the fish very well.

One day, I would love to take a trip to South America, where I can partake in this deliciously simple, yet satisfying dish al fresco on a lovely evening with lanterns or twinkling lights above my head, being lulled by ocean breezes.

I would clink my wine glass with my dinner companion as we said “aplousos” (“Cheers” in Spanish). Then taste a forkful on my plate, knowing that my fish had been freshly caught that morning in the deep azure blue the romantic patio looks out onto.