seared mahi mahi with dream sauce

03.07.2014

image by callie

happy friday y'all! i've always secretly wished to be an old southern grandma. mostly because when i think of a southern grandma i picture a woman with her doors and her heart always open to feed and love people who need it most. and because butter, biscuits, fried chicken and fried okra. 

we had a bit of a long week in the canlas home. jon left saturday morning for australia and gets back this morning. maybe i'll be giving him a big hug by the time you read this. or maybe not. long flights and lots of sitting make for sometimes smelly situations. too much? i'm sorry...back to business.

so, we had a long week here with jon gone. luckily, i've got my hormones in check (i deal with PMDD but that's another story for another time) and i'm back to feeling like my old self again. hewph! (that's what our kids say instead of "phew". it's pretty much the best thing in the universe.) my mood improved so much that i didn't even feel the need for a little pick-me-up this week! instead i took kids to the beach and the park and on bike rides. and we cuddled lots too. it felt good. coincidentally, i read a mental health update from design mom this week that helped me keep my chin up. 

i also found myself in the kitchen a couple of nights wanting to create. tonight's dinner was one for the books...seared mahi mahi with dream sauce, brown rice, baked sweet potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts. if i had thought ahead of time about the brown rice it would have only taken 20 minutes or so to throw this together. again, it felt good.

fifty percent of our kids ate the fish and LIKED it. that is statistically significanct in this home. and it was all because of this condiment. i wish you could have seen ila's face when she tasted it. her eyes opened wide and she smiled really big. then i smiled really big. we had a moment. 

i joked on instagram last night that i was going to call it "cilantro and scallion magic dream sauce". then a friend said, "why not?" so dream sauce it is! i'm fairly confident this could make anything taste good. and it's similar to a pesto or a chimichurri and will keep in the fridge for at least a week and you could freeze it in an ice cube tray as well. 

and p.s. to receive a couple extra "if i were..." menu ideas and secret recipes every month that i only share via email click here. i'll also be sending out recipes every once in a while for testing and feedback. but really, let me know if you try this one out. tell me how it goes.

seared mahi mahi with dream sauce

serves 4

4 six ounce mahi mahi fillets (i just bought the frozen wild caught bag from costco...you can even cut the fillets in half and it still might be enough for one serving)

extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

preheat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. meanwhile, brush each side of the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. when pan is slightly smoking place fish in the pan and let cook for 4-5 minutes. do not touch the fish. when it releases easily from the pan, it is ready to flip. flip fish to the other side and cook for another 3-4 minutes till done. remove from the pan and set aside.

for the sauce:

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 T green onion (one small green onion) sliced thin

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

2 T soy sauce

1 T lemon juice

2 T hot water

1 T canola oil (or any light flavored oil)

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey

while fish is cooking, combine all ingredients in a water glass. using an immersion blender, process all ingredients until smooth. if you don't have an immersion blender, a small food processor or blender would work. however, you might need to double the recipe to have enough volume to process.

i like to serve this dish with brown rice and roasted brussels sprouts. drizzle the the brussles sprouts with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper and throw them in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes and they'll be ready just as the fish is done.

notes: this sauce would be wonderful on grilled chicken, pork, beef...really anything. don't avoid this recipe if you don't have fish readily available or if it's not your jam. i also ate it on baked sweet potatoes and it was KILLER. i think the sweetness of the yam was a perfect balance to the kick-you-in-the-face flavor this sauce brings to the table.

dream sauce will keep for a week in the fridge or up to a month frozen in an ice cube tray in the freezer. just remove the cubes after they are frozen and store them in an airtight bag or container.