Mahi Mahi is becoming increasingly popular as a trophy fish sought after and caught by sport anglers around the world. This particular fish is often found in the warmer waters of the Gulf Coast, Hawaii, and along the coasts of South America. With its increasing popularity, it can often be found served in many restaurants or in the fresh seafood boxes of many grocery stores.
Sometimes called “dolphin fish” (although not related to the mammalian dolphin in any way), Mahi Mahi when properly filleted produces thick, dense pinkish-white fillets that are well-suited for cooking on a charcoal or gas grill. Served with baked potatoes, grilled corn on the cob, and asparagus, it’s a meal you or your guests won’t soon forget!
There are many ways to grill Mahi Mahi and we’ll discuss a few here. Some of these methods include:
- direct heat
- indirect heat
- cedar planks
- aluminum foil packets
First, let’s start with direct heat vs. indirect heat.
In a direct heat method, the food being cooked is placed directly on the hot coals or lit burner on a gas grill. This method produces searing heat that often blackens the outside of the meat, and while it’s great for steak, it’s not really the preferred method for Mahi Mahi.
When using an indirect heat method, the grill (charcoal or gas) is preheated and the coals are placed to one side for charcoal grills, or with gas grills, one side of the grill is extinguished. The item being cooked, in this case the fish, is placed on the side of the grill opposite the hot burner or coals, allowing for slower, more even cooking. With any of these methods, it is important to ensure that the grill grates are clean of any previous food or carbon buildup and that they are well coated with olive oil or a specially formulated grill cooking spray to prevent fish from it sticks
Cedar Plank Method
This is one of our favorite methods for cooking most dense fish fillets like salmon, red drum, or mahi mahi. Cedar grill planks can be found at most grocery stores or even major retail chains like WalMart and Home Depot. These thin planks of raw cedar add exceptional sweet smoky flavor to any fish that cooks on them. Just be sure to soak the boards in water for at least 4 hours before using them. When you are ready to grill the fish, place the board on a preheated grill (medium to medium high heat is best) and place the prepared fish fillet directly on the board. It is usually not necessary to flip the fish, but you can if you wish. With this cooking method, a simple seasoning of the fillets with a spice blend like Old Bay and a little lemon juice is all that is needed to prepare the fish for the grill.
foil pack method
In this method, the Mahi Mahi is seasoned and wrapped in aluminum foil and then placed over moderate direct or indirect heat. Most often, the fish is topped with lemon wedges, diced tomatoes, onions, and chopped olives before sealing the foil packet. This method helps to retain the juices and produces a very tasty meal!