Tri It, You’ll Like It

When I was young, the only seafood I would even consider eating was popcorn shrimp from Red Lobster. Somehow, in my mind, shrimp had become divorced from every other sea creature and was permissible only because it “wasn’t really seafood.” Fish, on the other hand, was out of the question entirely. Oh, except tuna sandwiches, I liked tuna sandwiches. The older I got, the more difficult it became to reconcile my bizarre seafood prejudices and I eventually cracked on a trip to MGM (I remember this like it was yesterday) and tried a piece of my dad’s mahi mahi at a restaurant there.

Hmmm, this fish tasted surprisingly… not fishy. It was mild, flaky and really just a vehicle to deliver the delicious butter sauce it was swimming in to my mouth. This experience caused me to have to reevaluate my zero-tolerance policy on seafood. I opened the floodgates—just a hair—and allowed mahi, tuna, salmon and crab to swim into my diet.

Now, all childhood anecdotes aside, I know the recipe for this one looks kind of like a doozy. It’s really not that bad, especially if you prepare the pineapple-mango salsa the night before, as I did. Then, it’s just a matter of cooking some beans and rice and slapping the fish on the grill. And, with all the decorations this fish has got going on, I promise—even if you’re a fishophobe, just try it, you’ll like it.

Tri-Color Mahi Mahi (Green Rice, Black Beans and Yellow Salsa)
Recipe adapted from Susanna Goihman, Azafran restaurant, Philadelphia
Serves 2

Mahi Mahi
2 (6-ounce) mahi mahi fillets
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. soy sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Green Rice
1 1/3 c. water
½ c. long-grain white rice
1 tbsp. butter
salt and pepper
4 tbsp. prepared green salsa

Black Beans
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ large yellow onion, diced
12 oz. canned black beans, drained
2 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. sugar
red wine vinegar, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pineapple-Mango Salsa
12 oz. canned pineapple rings, juice reserved
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
4 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a shallow dish, pour the juice from the canned pineapple, the juice of the lime and the soy sauce over the mahi. Marinate as you prepare rice, beans and salsa.

For the rice, combine water, rice and butter in saucepan. Season with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Stir in the salsa and season to taste with salt and pepper then set aside, covered, until ready to use.

For the beans, heat the oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the black beans, sugar and cumin. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.

For the salsa, preheat a grill pan over high heat. Grill the pineapple rings, turning once, until charred, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the rings to a cutting board and let cool slightly before chopping into small pieces.

In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, mango, bell pepper, cilantro, oil, ginger, jalapeno, and the juice of the lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the mahi mahi, wipe any charred bits from the pineapple off the grill pan and return it to medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Sear the fillets, turning once, until well browned and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Divide the rice and beans among two plates, top with the fillets, and spoon some the salsa over each. (There will be salsa leftover.)