Lemon-Thyme Mahi Mahi
Straight off, I will tell you that fish is my “fast food.” It’s the, “Oh crraaaaapppp…I forgot about dinner” meal. I usually have on hand the frozen wild, individual cryovac wrapped fillets of salmon, halibut, and Mahi from Costco in my freezer all the time. If I find myself at 5:30 in the evening having given exactly zero thought to dinner, all I have to do is put a few fillets in my porcelain sink and they’re completely thawed within 30 minutes. An iron pan has this same effect on speeding up defrosting. You’re welcome. If I’m super desperate, I can put them in a pot of cold water and that takes it down to 15. Yes it happens often. Don’t judge. Moving on…
About the recipe…
For this recipe, any lighter fish will do. It’s especially good with halibut. Always use wild fish, but as to contamination concerns with seafood, halibut is your healthiest bet. But I’m a single parent and when I’m buying organic wild whatever, sometimes I wonder how much I could fetch if I auctioned off my spare kidney on eBay. So it’s usually Mahi. But I digress.
As to the lemon-thyme, this in not at all like the typical thyme you find in stores. Go to a nursery and ask for non-GMO, organic Lemon-Thyme and grow it yourself – it’s pretty hardy. It’s a thing, and trust me, it’s worth it. Where regular thyme can be very medicinal with a sharp edge and lend itself to heavier sauces and marinades, lemon-thyme is much lighter with a soft lemon scent, closer to the that which you’d find with lemongrass – fresh, clean, warm…it’s an exceptional herb with fish, poultry, salads and side dishes. Even its color is a softer sage as opposed to the deep, saturated green of regular thyme. You can pull this recipe off without the lemon-thyme but it will have less character. If you try to substitute regular thyme for the lemon variety…I hope you liked the taste of medicine as a child, because that’s what it will do. I’ll pass.
Feel free to play with the amount of salt (always, always use real, unrefined salt!), pepper or even use fresh garlic instead of powder. I’ve even tried switching out the lemon zest with essential oils. It was awesome.
Grill or bake, it’s really up to you, but if you bake the fish in its marinade, it makes a wonderful, citrusy sauce that can be drizzled over quinoa (sooooo good!) or vegetables. As noted in the recipe, you can serve the fish over a bed of arugula and top with goat cheese and kalamata olives (shown). Arugula is a peppery green, but if you toss it with fresh lemon juice, it will mitigate this effect and leave you with a pleasant salad. Drizzling both the fish and arugula with the hot liquid left in the baking dish is a great way to wilt this salad to the perfect degree.
Hope you love it!
Kate
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1/3 c avocado oil* I use Chosen Foods
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh zest 1 medium lemon is sufficient
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder *
- 1/2-3/4 tsp real salt I prefer to use coarse ground for this - celtic, himalayan or Redmond's Real
- 1/8-1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper season amount to taste
- 1/4 c fresh lemon thyme leaves loosely packed and slightly smashed or diced a bit to release oils in leaves
- 4 fillets Mahi, Halibut, or any firm white fish patted dry
Ingredients
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- In a shallow baking dish, combine all ingredients except fish. Stir well and set aside 10 minutes to allow the flavors to infuse the oil.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add fillets to the baking dish and turn to coat them with the mixture. Keep cool while marinating.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. If you wish, after 6-8 minutes, you can switch to broil to finish this for golden, crispy edges. Edges should flake away when pressed but center should still be slightly firm. Do NOT overcook. Fish will continue to cook after it's been removed from the heat leaving it dry with a definite fishy aroma, so removing it when it's slightly under-cooked is best.
- Serve with rice, quinoa or vegetables. Or you can serve the fish over a bed of arugula and top with goat cheese and kalamata olives (shown). Drizzle with remaining liquid from baking dish. See notes above.