This recipe is the show stopper–awesome for when you have guests over and want to show off your skills 😉  It’s especially amazing in a cast iron skillet if you have one, they are great for pan searing fish.  This recipe starts on the stove top (to develop a caramelized crust on the outside) and then to the oven (so as not to burn the nut crust and give it a tender flakiness).
Ingredients:
- 3 lb of mahi mahi (wild caught is best, I had to peel the skin off and there were only a few bones to watch out for)
- 4 tsp minced fresh ginger (2 tsp are for the marinade and 2 tsp is for the salsa–go ahead and do it all together in the food processor and set aside half of it for the salsa)
- Juice of 4 limes (2 limes are for marinade and 2 limes are for salsa, juice it all at once to save time, and measure and separate half for each, or just use bottled lime juice–> 2 limes = aprox. 1/3 cup)
- 1 1/2 tsp tarragon (or 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups coconut nectar (1 cup is for marinade and remaining 1/2 cup is for salsa–if you can’t find just use agave nectar or honey-but I thought this added to the Hawaiian taste)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chile powder (use a mild kind or omit if you can’t find one)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts (I process the in the food processor but just be careful not to go to long or you’ll have macadamia butter!)
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
- 2 Hawaiian papaya, seeded, peeled, and chopped (about 2 cups–the Mexican papayas are the big ones–you can use that too, just measure out 2 cups)
- 2 mangos, seeded, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup-if you’ve never cut a mango before, not ripe enough and it will be too hard, too ripe and it’s mushy–mangoes are ideal for chopping when they are just barely tender)
- 6 scallions (green onions), chopped
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh red bell pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions for marinade:
- In a large shallow glass dish (or freezer bags would work too) combine 2 tsp minced ginger, juice of 2 limes (or 1/3 cup), 1 1/2 tsp tarragon, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup coconut nectar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp chile powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp coconut sugar. Â Mix well.
- Add the Mahi Mahi fillets and cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Directions for salsa:
- Combine 2 cups chopped papaya, 2 cups mango, 6 scallions, 2 tsp minced ginger, 2/3 cup red bell pepper, juice of 2 limes (or 1/3 cup), 1/2 cup coconut nectar.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate until fish is ready to serve.
Cooking the fish:
- Remove fish from refrigerator 15 min before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the coconut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat (I used the biggest one I had but you could always do 2 skillets if you need more room)
- Add the filets in a single layer, browning for 3 minutes on each side
- As you are browning the last side, pack the the macadamia nuts on the browned side that is facing up in an even coating. Â (I can’t stand wasting marinade so at this point I pour it all in and let the fish cook in the marinade but you totally don’t have to do that–just an option!)
- Immediately after the last 3 min of browning are up, place in the preheated oven and bake until the macadamia nuts are browned and the fish is flaky (about 20 min)
- Remove and top with the cold Papaya Mango Salsa.
- Serve to a much appreciative husband (because you know this is his favorite meal!)