Chili-spiced mahi mahi is baked in the oven and served over a bed of lettuce dressed in a sweet and spicy chili lime dressing. Fresh and nutritious and ready in half an hour, you ll love this easy seafood dinner recipe.
How are your resolutions working out for you? Are you a list-maker and a planner and someone who gets way too excited about new years and clean slates and starting fresh? If so, you re in good company. I love a new year and the calm it brings after a hectic and fun and indulgent holiday season. I love the feeling of a new start, a fresh way to look at life, and hours spent mapping out a new year. 2016 how I have waited and waited and waited for you. I ve been thinking a lot lately about how life can change in a few years. 2 years ago I would have told you my big goal for 2016 would be to have a high level position on a gubernatorial or presidential campaign. Today? Well, my political consulting business is closed after 7 years (!), I m on a bit of a political/news hiatus (someone please let me know when it s time to vote), and all of my political drive has been replaced with a serious obsession for recipe development and food writing. This year my big goals are developing dinner recipes that work for our families, preparing room for my son, and practicing the art of waiting well. All is truly well.
In years past I ve been big on resolution-making and new routines, but this year I don t have any big resolutions. I have some projects I m working on behind the scenes for the blog that I can t wait to bring to you and I m anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Get to Work Book to help me tackle those. Mostly I m just enjoying the blank slate of my days and giving myself time to build a new routine that will work. My first goal for the new year is to start waking up at a more consistent (earlier) time. After closing up shop at the end of November, I allowed myself the month of December to decompress, blog when I wanted, but mostly relax and prepare my heart for a change in occupation and a new look to my days. My in real life friends know that I m kind of bossy about people taking time to rest and recharge and be still, so I took my own advice in December. It was glorious, but that resting and relaxing also brought a bad cycle of staying up way too late reading (one of my very favorite things to do) and waking up about 3 hours after Garrett had left for work for the day. I m not proud of this! Well, maybe a little. Nevertheless I was determined to correct course come January and I did for one day. On Monday I woke up on time, ate breakfast before 11, did my quiet time, ate salad for lunch, and crossed everything off my to do list. I sent Garrett a text to let him know I won new years. (Please don t ask me what time I woke up today. It s a work in progress.)
One key to winning new years? Chili and Lime Mahi Mahi Salad. I can t think of a better way to win at your eat better resolution than with a tender, flaky fillet of mahi mahi and a spicy, sweet, tangy chili lime dressing on a plate full of crunchy romaine lettuce. I start by heating a cast iron skillet in the oven to get it nice and hot. Then I add a little butter to the pan, sear the fillets in the hot butter flesh-side down, flip them and put the pan back in the oven where they continue cooking. While the fish cooks, we whip up a really quick dressing with lime, honey, olive oil, salt, and chili powder in a mason jar. Shake, shake, shake and it s ready to drizzle over your fish and lettuce. If you re looking for another side to round out the meal, my roasted potatoes would be perfect. At the risk of being super bossy about both rest and your dinner plans, you NEED to add Chili and Lime Mahi Mahi Salad to your menu rotation for 4 reasons: 1) It takes very little effort, which is perfect if you re exhausted from getting up and going to the gym for the first time in months. 2) It s healthy AND flavorful, two words that are not always found in the same sentence. 3) It s affordable so you can keep your new years budget resolution I keep an eye out for mahi mahi fillets to go on sale at Harris Teeter and scoop them up 4) It s forgiving. Mahi Mahi thaws quickly, so even if you forget to take it out in the morning (distracted as you are by all your new goals), you can still have them for dinner that night.
Chili and Lime Mahi Mahi Salad for the win! Tell me: what s on your list of goals for 2016 AND what kind of recipes are you looking for this year? 4.9 from 8 reviews Print Chili and Lime Mahi Mahi Salad Author: Jessica Wood Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 25 mins Serves: 2 Chili and Lime Mahi Mahi Salad is the perfect healthy dinner recipe! Chili-spiced mahi mahi is baked in the oven and served over a bed of lettuce dressed in a sweet and spicy chili lime dressing. Fresh and nutritious and ready in half an hour, you ll love this easy seafood dinner recipe. Ingredients For the Mahi Mahi 2 mahi mahi fillets (about ½ lb each) 2 tbsp butter ¼ tsp chili powder kosher salt For the Salad Juice of 1 Lime ¼ cup Olive oil ¼ tsp salt pinch of chili powder ½ tbsp honey 1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped Instructions 1. Move oven rack to top half of oven (as high as you can get in your oven and still fit your cast iron skillet). Place skillet on oven rack and preheat oven to 425 to heat pan and oven. Let pan
heat for at least 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, place mahi mahi fillets on a plate with paper towels to dry fillets as much as possible. The dryer the fish, the better crust you'll get. Season with salt and chili powder to taste. 3. Remove hot pan and place on stove over medium-high heat. Melt butter in pan and add fillets flesh side down to brown. Let brown 2 minutes. Flip fillets and return skillet to oven. Let back until cooked through (about 7 minutes). 4. While fillets cook, combine lime juice, olive oil, salt, chili powder, and honey in a mason jar. Close with lid and shake vigorously until combined. 5. Remove fillets from oven and serve over lettuce and drizzle with dressing. 6. Enjoy! Notes This recipe serves two, but can easily be scaled up. Double or triple the dressing recipe to use on salads and drizzle over other proteins throughout the week. Adjust the chili powder on the fish and in the dressing to your taste and your family's preferences. This has just enough to lend flavor and gentle heat, but isn't spicy.