blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa

How to make blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa recipe - This warm-water fish with a Hawaiian name is given a Caribbean twist with a sweet and spicy pineapple salsa.

SERVES 5

COOK TIME 20 mins, PREP TIME 4–6 mins

Ingredients:
1⁄2 stick (4 tbsps) butter, melted
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
5 x 51⁄2oz (150g) mahi-mahi fillets, skins removed; or a firm, white fish, such as snapper

For the salsa:
1⁄2 pineapple, skinned and cored (see technique, right)
1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño or other mild green chile, seeded (optional) and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of 2 limes
handful of cilantro, finely chopped

Method:
1 For the salsa, chop the pineapple and pepper into small, similarsized chunks and put them in a bowl. Add the onion, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro, and stir to mix. Set aside.

2 Pour the melted butter into a wide, shallow bowl. In another wide, shallow bowl, mix the sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme.

3 Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, dip the fish fillets in the melted butter, coating both sides well, then dip in the seasoning.

4 Cook the fillets for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until blackened. Serve hot, topped with the pineapple salsa.

Coring a Pineapple
1 With a sharp knife, cut off the top and the base. Stand it upright and cut along the contour of the flesh, removing the skin in strips from top to bottom.

2 Turn the pineapple sideways and cut it into slices of an even thickness. Use a round metal cutter to remove the hard, fibrous center of each ring.

blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa