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Jessica Gavin
April 15, 2020
4.93 from 52 votes
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Delicious Mahi Mahi with Tahitian vanilla sauce! The hearty fish is seared until golden brown and served with an amazing vanilla bean and coconut sauce. For a complete meal serve with sauteed vegetables and fragrant rice.
This Mahi Mahi with Tahitian vanilla sauce will take your taste buds to a tropical destination! Jason and I have been fortunate to visit French Polynesia on more than one occasion, and each time we have the most fantastic fresh seafood. I was inspired to recreate one of our favorite mahi mahi recipes for our recent anniversary.
Mahi Mahi isa powerful deep-water fish with firm flesh and just the right texture to create stunning pan-fried or grilled recipes. The mild flavor of the fillets can be enjoyed with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, or elevated with more intense seasonings or sauces. This Mahi Mahi recipe takes the authentic ingredients used in everyday cooking in Tahiti like vanilla beans, rum, coconut and, incredibly fresh fish for a simple yet elegant meal.
When Jason and I visited the small Polynesian island of Bora Borafor our babymoon, we grew very fond of Mahi Mahi fish which happens to be on the menu at almost every restaurant on the island. The local fisherman even sold beautiful fresh caught Mahi Mahi on the side of the road in Vaitape, which is the small central island downtown area of Bora Bora.Mahi Mahi can weigh between eight to twenty-five pounds!
We are happy that we can find some fresh fillets available at our local fish market. Mahi Mahi is a little on the pricier side, butworth the investment for a taste of this delicious meal. One of our favorite Polynesian traditional dishes is seared Mahi Mahi with vanilla sauce, and I’m excited to share this recipe with you!
Fish Selection
Mahi Mahi is usually sold in 4 to 8-ounce pre-portioned fillets. You can buy them fresh at a fish market or stores like Trader Joe’s sells them for a reasonable price frozen. It is thin-skinned with firm light pink flesh. It has a delicate flavor that is almost sweet and turns white when cooked. The fish is very easy to prepare, you just need to add a little bit of seasoning, and you are all set!
Pan Selection
A large 10 to 12-inch cast iron pan or stainless steel clad skillet will allow enough room to cook and fry the fish properly. The trick to beautiful coloring on a fillet is to start with a nice hot pan.
How to cook Mahi Mahi
Preheat your pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes until you can feel the heat rising from the pan. Add enough oil to coat about ⅛ of an inch, and then allow the oil to heat until almost smoking. Carefully add the fish to the pan, presentation side down, and gently press on the fillet with a spatula for a few seconds so the flesh can make direct contact with the hot surface.
Thisconnection also helps release some of the moisture so the meatcan brown evenly. After a few minutes, when the bottom becomes golden brown, the flesh will begin to release on its own with a little help from the spatula, if not give the fish a minute or two longer to cook. Flip and finish cooking, this recipe calls for about 3 to 4 minutes of cooking on each side.
Mahi Mahi only requires a few minutes of cooking before it gets dried out, so keep an eye on the time and firmness as it cooks so you can remove it from the pan quickly when it’s ready. Once you master this dry-heat cooking technique, try making grilled blackened Mahi Mahitacos. They are so delicious!
Many of the dishes served in Bora Bora feature local island-inspired ingredients prepared with a hint of French gastronomy. Each meal always had some fresh sauteed vegetables served with tender grains.
Whenever I make this Mahi Mahi dish, I make sure to have colorful sides like squash, zucchini, carrots, and bell peppers and cook somecoconut rice to soak up the extra sauce!
This recipe includes a creamy Tahitian vanilla sauce. It is a reduction of coconut milk, cream, a little bit of chicken stock, a generous splash of rum for a sweet caramel flavor, and of course wholeTahitian vanilla beans.I always make sure to stock up on whole vanilla beans when we are in French Polynesia, as the prices are very high for just a few pieces.
For dessert, I would highly recommend pairing this dish with my Bora Bora coconut custard pie recipe if you are feeling inspired to make your meal a complete island experience.
Cooking with vanilla beans
The flavor of vanilla bean differs based on where they are grown. Vanilla orchid plant variety; Mexican, Madagascar Bourbon, Indonesian and Tahitian sources are most common. I like to use Tahitian vanilla beans becausethey have a floral aroma, fruity, and are more plump and bountiful with prized vanilla seeds. To use with cooking, split the pod lengthwise and lightly scoring the skin to unveil the seeds. Use a spoon or back of a knife to remove the seeds and add them to the recipe. I like to simmer the pods in the vanilla sauce because there are lots of residual flavors. I love how it adds tiny black speckles in sauces, creams, and desserts. One pod is about three teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Mahi Mahi with Tahitian Vanilla Sauce
Pan seared Mahi Mahi with a creamy Tahitian vanilla bean sauce, a classic French Polynesian recipe made with rum and coconut.
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4.93 from 52 votes
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Servings 4 servings
Course Entree
Cuisine French
Ingredients
Mahi Mahi
- 4 Mahi Mahi fillets
- kosher salt, as needed
- black pepper, as needed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Vanilla Sauce
- ½ cup dark rum
- 1 vanilla bean, sliced open lengthwise
- ¼ cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup coconut milk
- kosher salt, as needed
Instructions
Vanilla Sauce
In a medium saucepan, add rum and vanilla bean. Heat over medium-high heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, cream, and coconut milk and gently whisk to combine. Heat over medium-high heat and allow the mixture to reduce to about 1 cup, whisking continuously, about 15 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and not too runny.
Turn off heat and carefully remove the vanilla bean from the sauce. Scrape seeds out of the vanilla pod and whisk into the sauce. Season with salt to taste. Rewarm the sauce before serving with the Mahi Mahi.
Seared Mahi Mahi
Season both sides of the Mahi Mahi fillets with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Carefully add the Mahi Mahi to the pan and sear the fillets until they are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until the flesh is opaque. Transfer to a serving plate and serve with warmed vanilla sauce.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Serves: 4 servings
Calories 440kcal (22%)Carbohydrates 1gProtein 61g (122%)Fat 23g (35%)Saturated Fat 9g (45%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 154mg (51%)Sodium 513mg (21%)Potassium 27mg (1%)Fiber 0.1gSugar 0.03gVitamin A 400IU (8%)Vitamin C 0.2mgCalcium 280mg (28%)Iron 2.5mg (14%)
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
