I’m a 28 year old mom who loves to cook, but I had never grilled fresh fish… Until now. I’m not sure why, but grilling fish just intimidated me, so anytime we had grilled fish my husband made it. Now, I had cooked it in the oven, but never grilled it. Then, yesterday I decided to put that fear behind me when I saw fresh mahi mahi, wild caught for a very good price at the store. I selected my massive filet and came home with a mission.

Y’all, I am kicking myself for not doing this sooner, because it was stinkin’ good. Nathan enjoyed it, and the boys ate it up (with ketchup, of course. Why does every protein need ketchup?). My recipe is pretty basic, and because I knew my little ones would be eating it, there’s not a lot of heat to it, but you could adapt it. Now, on that note, I didn’t measure so the ingredients I am giving you are purely a “guesstamite.” Let’s begin.

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ – 2 pounds on mahi mahi, skin on one side
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. If needed, cut your fish in individual portion sizes (about the size of your palm).
2. Heat the skillet on medium high heat until the butter is melted.
3. While you’re waiting for the butter to melt, season the flesh side of the fish with half of the seasonings and half of the lime zest.

4. Once the butter is melted, place the flesh side of the fish down. Cook for 3 minutes and season the skin of the fish with the remaining ingredients. (I know you don’t eat the skin, but it just felt wrong not to season it. Plus, I thought the seasonings may absorb into the fish while cooking. I have no idea how accurate this is, but that’s what I did.)

5. After those 3 minutes, flip the fish skin side down and cook an additional 6-7 minutes. During this time you can check the natural seam in the fish to see when it is done.

6. Once it is completely cooked, turn the heat off and squeeze the lime juice over the fish.

7. Serve with your choice of sides and a couple extra lime wedges for garnish. We ate our fish with basmati rice and raw veggies. Yum!

Notes:
• Again, these are rough estimates of the seasonings, so add more if needed for your taste.
• The fish should easily come off of the skin. I took it off for the kids when I made their plates, but my hubby and I served ourselves the whole thing. I did notice on one of the thinner parts of the filet it was slightly tough near the edges where it was overcooked, so keep an eye on the thinner pieces. Other than that, it was so tender and juicy.

Is there a dish that’s intimated you in the kitchen? Let me know, and maybe I’ll give it a go!