These mahi-mahi tacos are so easy and delicious, even my seafood-adverse mom will eat them.
Michael and I are big fans of buying fresh fish for a nice meal every once in a while, but sometimes it's more convenient (and less expensive) to have protein stocked in the freezer. We usually buy a bag of frozen fish from Costco, Sams, or the grocery store about once a month. This month wild-caught frozen mahi-mahi was on sale at Lidl for $3.79 per 14 ounces, so we stocked up on that.
I didn't grow up eating a ton of fish, so when I moved to the East Coast I was surprised by how common it was to see it on the menu EVERYWHERE. I started with unadventurous seafood like shrimp and salmon, but now there's not much I don't eat. My mom is still pretty seafood-adverse, so when she comes over for dinner I usually stick with beef or chicken, but last week I decided to throw mahi-mahi into the mix. If there's any way she'll eat fish, it's in taco form.
Mahi-mahi has a mild flavor and a firm texture, so it takes on other flavors really well and provides the meaty bite that you want in a good taco. It's especially good with blackening seasoning, which you can throw together on your own in literally a minute. We've been loving peaches this summer, so I paired the mahi-mahi with a quick peach pico de gallo, and the spicy blackening seasoning tastes so good with the sweetness of the peach. I top it off with a cilantro-lime greek yogurt sauce, which cools everything down and brings all the flavors together.
And yes, these were mom-approved.
Where can I buy mahi-mahi? Is it expensive?
Mahi-mahi isn't a super finicky fish, so it's great if you're just getting started with seafood or don't want to buy fresh fish. We almost always buy our mahi-mahi frozen because it's a lot cheaper that way and still tastes great. In taco form, the difference between fresh and frozen seems to disappear. You should be able to buy frozen mahi-mahi at most grocery stores--here are some examples:
- Walmart sells 12 ounce bags for $5.92, about $7.89 per pound
- Costco sells 3 pound bags for $17.99, which works out to about $6.00 per pound
- Sam's Club sells 2 pound bags for $12.98, or $6.49 per pound
- Kroger sells 12 ounce bags for $5.99, which is about $7.99 per pound
- Safeway sells 12 ounce bags for $10.99, which is about $14.65 per pound
The prices above may vary by store, time of year, etc., but should give you an idea of where mahi-mahi might be cheapest to buy. Costco and Sam's Club clearly have the cheapest per unit price from the sample above. I know buying big bags of some obscure fish might seem insane, but we're usually happy to find it in our freezer (especially on weeks when we don't want to buy meat!), and it's a fun way to force yourself to try new recipes.
Serve with....
Our guacamole and mexican black beans!
Blackened Mahi-Mahi Tacos with Peach Pico de Gallo and Cilantro Lime Sauce
These tacos are loaded with spicy blackened mahi-mahi and a sweet homemade peach pico de gallo. They're topped off with a cilantro-lime greek yogurt sauce, which cools everything down and brings all the flavors together. They're fast, easy, and taste like something you'd eat on vacation.
4
servings20
minutes10
minutes469
kcal30
minutesIngredients
- For the tacos
1 pound mahi-mahi, fresh or frozen (de-thaw if frozen)
2 tablespoons vegetable or avocado oil, divided
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
6 slices cooked bacon, chopped into small pieces
9-12 corn tortillas, depending on size and how full you pack them
- For the Peach Pico de Gallo
½ large peach
3 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
¼ cup cilantro
½ large jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed
½ medium red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
- For the Cilantro Lime Sauce
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
½ cup cilantro, heaping
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ large jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
- Make the pico de gallo. Finely dice the peach, tomatoes, jalapeño, and red onion and add to a bowl. Chop the cilantro and add that to the bowl, followed by the lime juice and salt. Mix to combine. Taste and add more salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the other components.
- Add all of the cilantro lime sauce ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until combined and smooth. Set aside.
- Make the blackening seasoning for the tacos. Add cayenne powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and cumin in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Pat mahi-mahi dry with a paper towel and coat with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Apply seasoning mix to the fish and spread across fish evenly.
- Heat a cast-iron or non-stick pan over high heat with the rest of the oil. Once hot, turn to medium-high heat and add the mahi-mahi. Cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for another minute and a half or until it flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and cut into bite-sized chunks.
- Heat corn tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a pan (add tortilla to a hot pan for 30 seconds or so on each side).
- Construct the tacos. Add mahi-mahi, bacon, peach pico de gallo, and cilantro lime sauce to each tortilla and enjoy! Heat more (or fewer) tortillas as needed.
Leave a Reply