Breakfast & Brunch Fish Fish & Seafood Kitchen Main Dish Small Plate

Sweet ‘n Spicy Tequila Lemon Mahi Mahi

By Chris Capell

This quick and easy pan-seared mahi mahi recipe gets its trifecta of flavor (sweetness, savory and heat) from our Spicy Pineapple Head seasoning. There’s even a hint of caramelization on the surface of the fillet from the brown sugar in the seasoning. If you’d rather not deal with the heat, this recipe would work just as well with our original Pineapple Head.

We used mahi mahi because it has a neutral flavor that can readily take on any flavor you throw at it. And we highly recommend the use of a cast iron skillet for a quick and even sear. Can be served with a salad and rice or pasta.

Ingredients

Print Recipe

1-2 lbs mahi mahi filet (or other firm fleshed fish – halibut, rockfish, grouper etc.)
2 Tbsp oil for cooking
½ small onion, diced fine
2 Tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (or sub with 1 Tbsp lemon zest)
2 Tbsp Dizzy Pig Spicy Pineapple Head or to taste (or use our regular Pineapple Head to keep it mild)
½ cup Tequila
¾ cup half and half
Salt to taste

Directions

Pan sear fish:

Season fish with an even thin layer of Spicy Pineapple Head
Add some oil to a frying pan over medium/high heat (we used a cast iron skillet)
Pan sear fish until well browned on each side (we went 4 minutes on first side, and 2 minutes on second side). If the fish is not browning after a few minutes, raise the heat. You want the fish to brown without overcooking
Remove fish from pan and reserve

Make pan sauce:

Reduce heat to medium
Add a little more oil to the pan, then add onions and lemongrass (if using lemon zest, add it later before removing sauce)
Sauté for 5-10 minutes until onion is just starting to brown
Add Tequila and cook until the alcohol is almost entirely evaporated
Slowly stir or whisk in half and half, and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer
Add 2 tsp Spicy Pineapple Head (and lemon zest if you did not use lemongrass)
Simmer the sauce for a few minutes, or until it has thickened to desired consistency
Pour sauce over fish and serve