Served with a fresh balsamic tomato salad, this juicy Grilled Mahi Mahi Recipe is an easy and flavorful fish dinner that can be grilled or cooked on the stove. Mahi Mahi is tender, flaky, and seriously delicious. The tomato salad on top is a must!
An Easy Mahi Mahi Recipe
This simple recipe makes the juiciest grilled Mahi Mahi! It pairs so well with my homemade balsamic tomato salad. The fish fillets are seasoned to perfection and the salad adds a fresh and flavorful element. Whether you cook it on the stove or an outdoor grill, this is the best Mahi Mahi recipe you’ll find.
What is Mahi Mahi?
Mahi Mahi is a firm fish with meat that has a crab-like texture. It doesn’t have a super strong fishy taste, so it’s great for people who don’t love seafood. It absorbs the flavor of your seasoning and stays nice and firm while it’s cooking.
Mahi Mahi fish live in temperate, tropical and subtropical waters. If you live near the shore, you can probably find them at your local fish market. If you don’t, you can purchase frozen Mahi Mahi at the grocery store. I recommend buying wild-caught fish because they have the best flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
For the Mahi Mahi
- Mahi Mahi Fillets
- Olive Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Dried Basil: You can use fresh basil instead if you’d like!
- Salt & Pepper
For the Balsamic Tomato Salad
- Roma Tomatoes: Slice and dice your tomatoes to desired size.
- Fresh Basil
- Olive Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- Grated Parmesan
- Balsamic Glaze: This will be used to drizzle over your salad.
How to Cook Mahi Mahi on the Stove Top
- Dry Mahi Mahi: Pat dry the fish fillets and set them on a plate.
- Combine Seasonings: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
- Season Fish: Brush mahi mahi with the oil mixture.
- Heat Skillet: Heat a nonstick pan or a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add Oil: When your pan is hot, cover the bottom with olive oil.
- Cook Fish: Add the Mahi Mahi to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until set. If possible, use a fish turner to turn them over. It makes it so much easier to flip the fish, or remove a fillet from the cooking pan without tearing the flesh.
- Remove and Serve: Remove fish from the pan, garnish with prepared tomato salad, and serve.
How to Make Grilled Mahi Mahi
- Preheat Grill: Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat; about 425˚F to 450˚F.
- Prepare Fish: Pat dry Mahi Mahi fillets and brush them with prepared seasonings.
- Grease Grill: Brush the grill grates with oil so the fish doesn’t stick.
- Cook: Grill the fish for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until nice golden grill marks appear and the flesh is set. Don’t overcook.
- Remove from Heat: Remove your fish fillets from the grill and transfer them to a plate.
- Serve: Plate your Mahi Mahi with prepared salad and serve.
Tips for the Best Mahi Mahi
- Don’t Overcook: If you overcook your Mahi Mahi, it will become dry and rubbery. You should remove it from the heat as soon as it starts getting golden brown and the flesh appears set.
- Dry Fish Before Seasoning: Don’t forget to pat dry your fish fillets with paper towels before brushing them with the seasoning. This will aid the browning process when you cook your fish.
- Grease Grill or Skillet: It’s important to cover the bottom of your pan with oil when cooking Mahi Mahi on the stove. If you’re grilling your fish, make sure to grease the grill grates before cooking. This way, nothing will get stuck to your grill or skillet.
- Serve Hot: Mahi Mahi is best served hot, so don’t let your fish rest for too long before serving.
How to Make a Balsamic Tomato Salad
This balsamic tomato salad is the perfect companion for your Mahi Mahi! Plus, it couldn’t be simpler to make.
- Combine Ingredients: Combine prepared tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl, stirring until well incorporated.
- Add Over Fish: Add a scoop of the salad over each fish fillet.
- Garnish: Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the salad and add a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Serving Suggestions
- White Sangria: White wine is a classic drink to serve with Mahi Mahi. To make things more interesting, you should totally serve this dish with my Easy White Wine Sangria!
- Pretzel Bites: To turn this fancy dinner into a fun, full coarse meal, preface your dish with these simple Soft Pretzel Bites.
- Creamed Spinach: This Quick and Easy Creamed Spinach Dip is another tasty appetizer to serve with Mahi Mahi. It only takes 10 minutes to throw together, and it goes great with bread or crackers!
More Fish Recipes
- Skillet Tilapia with Creamy Lemon Sauce
- Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon Skewers
- Fish Tacos with Creamy Lime Mustard Sauce
ENJOY!
Tools Used in this Recipe
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Balsamic Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 Mahi Mahi Fillets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- fresh grated parmesan
- Balsamic glaze, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat; about 425˚F to 450˚F.
- Pat dry the fish fillets and set on a plate.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Brush fish with the oil mixture.
- Brush grill grates with oil so that the fish doesn’t stick.
- Grill the fish for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until nice golden grill marks appear and the flesh is set. Don’t overcook or the fish will be dry and rubbery.
- In the meantime, prepare the salad by combining prepared tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl; stir until well incorporated.
- Remove fish from the grill and transfer to a plate. Add some salad over each fish fillet.
- Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the salad and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve and enjoy!
- Prepare the fish and tomato salad per the instructions above.
- Heat a nonstick pan or a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- When pan is hot, cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
- Add the Mahi Mahi to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until set.
- Remove from pan; garnish with prepared tomato salad and serve.
Equipment
- Stove
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
don’t understand how to make the Balsamic Glaze? Is it just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar?
Hi!
You can buy balsamic glaze, and it’s not a vinaigrette… it’s thicker than the vinaigrette. This is the one that I always use: https://amzn.to/3IxQteh
You can also reduce balsamic vinegar to make the glaze…boil gently until it reduces by at least half and has become thick.
If I purchased mahi with skin on …on one side
How would grill it? Thanks!!
Hi!
Grill it skin-side down first, then flip it over.
What did you serve with it? Did you serve it over rice or pasta? I think i am going to try this tonight!
Both! 🙂 My husband always reaches for the pasta or lemon rice, but I try to stick with cauliflower rice. Here’s a couple links for ideas:
https://diethood.com/garlic-butter-spinach-pasta-giveaway/
https://diethood.com/garlic-butter-cauliflower-rice-spinach/
I seriously can’t wait to make this again! We used our fresh garden tomatoes for the tomato salad and it was perfection!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
The most perfect summer dinner!!
Thank YOU, Cathy! 🙂
I want to eat that tomato salad all day long! Pairing it with the fish is genius!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to make this!
Thank you, Beth! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Thanks for giving both the stove top and grilling options. Looks like I’ll be set to make this all year long! Mahi Mahi is one of my favorites.
Tried this for dinner last night and it is definitely my favorite way to enjoy fish! Can’t wait to enjoy this again later this week!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
That tomato topping really brought out the flavor of the mahi mahi. Absolutely delicious!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I LOVE Mahi Mahi, it is one of my favorite fish to eat! Grilled is the only way to go!
I hope you enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂