Summer In My Kitchen: Garlic Lime Mahi Mahi Over Coconut Rice

Most of you know my romance with Trader Joes.  I never leave that store in a bad mood.  If I have a happy place- it’s Trader’s.  One of these days I’ll blog about my famous wine spill… or should I say WINE BATH a few Christmases ago that I became known for.  For now, I’m rather incognito at our new Portland location, but I plan on befriending the shelf stockers soon enough.  Outside of the soy sauce I used, everything in this recipe was from Trader’s.

Their frozen Mahi Mahi filets are quite tasty and don’t taste “fishy” to me, as some frozen fish can come.  I bathe them in the following:

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tbs olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp ground or minced ginger

1 tsp dijon mustard

¼ tsp each salt and pepper

While the flavors are getting acquainted, I throw the limes themselves (accept for one) in there for the skin oils to do their thing too, plus I like a little color in all the brown.  This recipe may be floating around out there in cyber space, I wrote it down a few years ago before I knew what a food blog was.

Sear both sides of the fish on a grill pan approx 3 min each side.

For the Coconut Rice, I got this recipe from my friend Stephanie Krier who cooks in Boston now for her husband Bobby and their handsome husky “Luther.”  I believe the recipe came from her Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook.

¾ c. Basmati Rice

¾ c. light canned unsweetened coconut milk

¾ c. water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp lime zest (from your original juiced lime for the Mahi Mahi)

2 tbs. chopped green onion

Bring the coconut milk, water and salt to a boil.  Add the rice and simmer covered 15 min.  Let stand for 5 min off heat.  Stir in lime zest and green onion.

You can put any veggie with it; I like the bell pepper because of the color.  I tossed them into some of that same marinade as the fish then seared them on the grill pan.

OK, it looks so good, that you must have something to drink, yes?  I picked up the Contadino Pinot Grigio from the Italian wine section at Trader’s.  It’s a very light and bright Pinot Grigio.  If you can find the 2008, it’s the better year.  But the 2009 had a hint of lime this time around, accompanied by a green apple and pear.  It brought out the lime juice in the Mahi Mahi, and the lime zest in the coconut rice.  I was so pleased.  And it’s another cheapo at Traders!  $6, vuwa-la!