Easy Perfect Mahi Mahi Recipe

Mahi Mahi, otherwise known as Dorado, is a deservedly popular fish. When done right, mahi mahi is tender, flaky, and deliciously flavorful.

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Easy Perfect Mahi Mahi Recipe — This lemon garlic butter sauce is sensational. Courtesy of Amy Dong

By Amy Dong

12/7/2023Updated: 12/7/2023

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Restaurant Quality Fish at Home

I grew up in a family that often dished up fish for dinner. Any given weeknight, we would sit down to a meal that included freshly cooked fish. My parents served up all varieties of fish, from whole fish to fish fillets. They used all methods of cooking with their fish recipes, from whole branzino fish to pan fried cod.

Though there are a myriad of ways to cook up delicious fish, such as our Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon and Seared Halibut– this easy mahi mahi fish recipe is perfect for anyone to make. It only takes about 20 minutes, it’s super tender, and incredibly tasty. People keep telling me they can’t believe they made this restaurant-quality mahi mahi dish by themselves. You can, too. Looking for more ways to cook mahi mahi? You might also enjoy this mahi mahi with pineapple salsa.

What is Mahi Mahi?

Mahi Mahi is the Hawaiian name for dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, or dorado, though it is completely unrelated to dolphins. It was so named, as this fish tends to swim in a similar fashion to dolphins. Mahi Mahi is a surface dwelling fish that’s commonly found near the Gulf of Mexico, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and the Indian Ocean. Due its mild flavor and firm yet moist flesh, mahi mahi is a popular fish to serve at restaurants around the world.

Key Ingredients

(Courtesy of Amy Dong) — Courtesy of Amy Dong

Olive Oil: we use olive oil for best flavor and a healthy boost.
Mahi Mahi: Look for fish fillets that are 1-inch thick throughout the entire fillet, and roughly 4oz per fillet. Frozen or fresh fillets are fine.
Garlic: Plenty of freshly minced garlic is called for. Don’t skimp on the garlic.
Lemon: Grab one fresh lemon and zest the peel; then squeeze 1 TB of tangy juice from it. Bottled lemon juice isn’t the same, so use fresh lemons.
Butter: I prefer to use salted pure butter, but feel free to use unsalted if you like as long as it’s real butter.
Herbs: For freshly chopped herbs, choose from chives or parsley … or both.

Step-By-Step Instructions

We use the stovetop-to-oven method of cooking here, like we do with this trusty lemon garlic swordfish, which yields a nicely browned exterior yet tender, flaky center.

Lemon Garlic Mixture (can be made ahead)—in a small pan, combine all Lemon Garlic Mixture ingredients and stir to fully combine. Keep warm.

Pat-dry all excess moisture from the fish fillets with paper towels. This step is important, so be sure to pat off as much moisture as you can. Evenly sprinkle both sides of fillets with pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large oven-proof pan, heat the olive oil over high heat. Once oil is sizzling hot add the fish fillets to pan and let cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes—do not move fish around. Carefully flip fish fillets over to the other side, turn stove burner off, and immediately transfer pan into already-hot oven.

Roast fish at 400 F about 5 minutes or just until the top is golden and center is just cooked through. Take care not to overcook.

Immediately turn heat off and pour warm lemon butter sauce over the cooked fish.

Pro Tips for Success

Here are some of our most helpful tips for cooking mahi mahi, which applies to many other fish as well:

Get either super fresh or quick-frozen, high quality mahi mahi. Wild is best and will provide best flavor.
Be sure fillets are at least 1-inch thickness. If your portions are thin or too small, they’ll tend to overcook and the seasoning proportions will be off.
Always pat dry excess moisture from the fish; this step is super important, as it affects how well your fish will brown.
Use a large, oven-proof pan that heats evenly.
Your cooking oil needs to be very hot [like, sizzling] before adding the fish. This allows for quick and even browning of exterior.
Once fish is in pan, do not keep moving it around. Let it sit and brown for 3 minutes. It helps to have a large splatter guard. I use mine often whenever pan-frying foods.
Preheat oven ahead of time so that it’s nice and hot when you transfer the mahi mahi directly from stovetop to oven. After 5 minutes in the oven, it’s done.
Bonus Tip: sauce can be prepared ahead of time, covered, and chilled until you’re ready to warm it up for serving. It’s a great sauce to have on hand.

What to Serve With Mahi Mahi

This fish dish is one of our favorites for everything from quick weeknight dinners to small dinner parties. If your friends enjoy restaurant-quality fish dishes, they’ll be in awe of you for serving this mahi mahi. Because the Lemon Garlic Sauce can be made in advance, all you need to do is cook your fish, which takes about 8 minutes total.

Grains

I love this Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice, as it goes so well with most meals and is healthy yet easy.
Instant Pot Jasmine Rice is a fluffy side dish that you can drizzle with warm butter and serve alongside fish.
Wild Rice Pilaf—this is a reader-favorite recipe, for good reason. It’s robust and flavorful.
For a skillet easy rice dish, this Easy Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms is fantastic.

Vegetables

We really like this 20-Minute Lemon Spinach Orzo Salad for some greens and a complete meal.
A nice serving of this Best Easy Roasted Vegetables Recipe makes an amazing dinner with your fish as well.
Get more vegetables with our 21 Best Salad Recipes.

Potatoes

If potatoes are your thing, Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Lemon is a favorite recipe that includes a section on How to roast potatoes perfectly.
Instant Pot Baby Potatoes—this is a fan-favorite dish that turns out tender and flavorful.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (5 Ingredients)—this one is an instant hit!