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Home » Stovetop Seafood Recipes » Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi with Orange Soy Marinade

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi with Orange Soy Marinade

Published: May 25, 2020 · Modified: Aug 8, 2020 by Cooking Chat · This post may contain affiliate links

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Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi is prepared with a flavorful orange soy marinade which features lots of bright,lively flavors. The firm but mild fish lets the sauce flavors shine. This healthy recipe is on the table in well under 30 minutes.

pan seared mahi mahi with pasta

mahi mahi plated with pastaAn easy to make marinade and quick cooking pan seared mahi mahi make recipe a winner!

We pull a bit of the marinade aside before adding the fish. This reserved sauce gets put on top of the fish as it finishes cooking, adding a bit more of the bright, orange soy flavor.

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi served with noodles and peas

The basic approach for this pan-seared mahi mahi is based on the method I frequently use making this Simple Pan Seared Salmon recipe. And for another good stovetop seafood recipe, check out our Pan Seared Sea Bass.

What is Mahi Mahi?

Mahi Mahi is a fish found in warm waters around the world. As this article explains, the name comes from the Hawaiian for “strong strong”.

The English name for the fish is the common dolphinfish. The name mahi mahi is preferred to avoid confusion with the mammal. This approach hasn’t entirely worked, as one friend refuses my offers of mahi mahi because of the confusing linkage with the term dolphin.

The white flesh of mahi mahi is pretty firm, more so than say haddock, and the flavors are mild. That creates a good palette for showcasing our tasty orange soy sauce for mahi mahi!

Tips for making the recipe

mahi mahi plated with kale pesto pasta

This tasty mahi mahi recipe comes together easily in under 30 minutes. Here are a few tips, scroll down to the recipe card for the details:

    • Be sure you pull out the 2 tablespoons of marinade for topping the fish before adding the mahi mahi. marinating mahi mahiBecause that portion won’t be fully cooked, you don’t want it mingling with the raw fish.
    • I originally made this recipe with fresh mahi mahi that was ready to cook. But I recently got a good sized bag of frozen mahi mahi fillets for my stay at home stash. Both options work well.
    • cooking mahi mahi in a skillet.
  • The recipe refers to the “skin side” of the mahi mahi fillet. You may wind up with a fillet that has the skin already removed, that is fine.
  • The recipe indicates you can use fresh or dried ginger and garlic. Try to use at least one of them fresh. Fresh ginger really does add nice lively flavor to the mahi mahi.
Mahi Mahi soaking up some tastiness!
Mahi Mahi soaking up some tastiness!

What to serve with mahi mahi

OK, I’m talking about what to serve with mahi mahi in addition to wine, I will get to that in a moment.

We have enjoyed this mahi mahi recipe served with a side of pasta. Most recently we had the fish with kale pesto pasta, and that was a good combo, especially with the Sauvignon Blanc that was served.

Couscous or quinoa would be another good side dish option for this fish recipe.

More Mahi Mahi Recipes

Mahi Mahi is great fish for serving with some flavorful preparations. Check out these recipes for more ideas!

  • Mahi Mahi with Strawberry Sauce
  • Mahi Mahi with Pineapple Salsa

Wine Pairings

mahi mahi with sauvignon blanc.

Our remaking of this pan-seared mahi mahi coincided with our sampling the 2019 Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc ($20, 13.5% ABV) from the Golan Heights Winery in Israel. More on the winery in this recent article.

The Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc is a very light straw color in the glass. Kiwi and herbal notes on the nose — a bit of white tea perhaps? On the palate, light lemon fruit with a pop of bright flavor on the back of palate. Medium bodied with a clean finish.

The Sauv Blanc is a pretty good pairing with the mahi mahi, and the overall meal pairing was enhanced by the kale pesto pasta on the plate.

I will have to remake the dish again soon to test out some other pairings. I am thinking Riesling and some fish friendly Italian whites would be worth a try. Perhaps an unoaked Chardonnay as well. Let me know if you come up with something that works well!

Get more information about the Golan Heights Winery coming up on Saturday, including a pairing for the Sauv Blanc that was a big hit. 

Print

Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi with Orange Soy Marinade

mahi mahi plated with kale pesto pasta
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Mahi Mahi with a flavorful orange soy marinade gets quickly pan-seared for a flavorful and healthy main course.

  • Author: Cooking Chat
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 8 mins
  • Total Time: 23 mins
  • Yield: 3 servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • ¼ tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp brown rice vinegar (or substitute another vinegar on hand)
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (or ½ tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, minced (or pinch dried ginger)
  • 1 scallion, chopped (optional)
  • 12 ozs mahi mahi fillet
  • oil spray

Instructions

  1. Make the marinade: Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl–soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic, honey and scallion, if using. Remove 2 tablespoons of the marinade to a separate small bowl before adding the fish to the marinade. Reserve these 2 tablespoons for later.
  2. Prep the fish: Rinse and pat dry the mahi mahi. Place the mahi mahi in the larger bowl with most of the marinade. Gently toss the fish so that it is well combined with the marinade. Set aside, and let the mahi mahi marinade for about 10 minutes.
  3. Pan-sear mahi mahi: Coat a large nonstick skillet with the cooking oil, and heat on medium high heat. Add the mahi mahi, skin side down*. Cook for 4 minutes, then turn the mahi mahi over to the other side. Cook for 2 more minutes, then turn the fish over one more time, to cook for a final two minutes, skin side down.
  4. Finish the fish: After turning the fish over for the final 2 minutes of cooking, take the reserved 2 tablespoons of orange soy sauce and spread evenly over the fish. This will add extra flavor as the mahi mahi finishes cooking. After 8 minutes cooking time, check to see that the mahi mahi is cooked through. Remove if it’s done, or allow another minute or two of cooking if needed.
  5. Serve: Remove the mahi mahi from the pan. Divide into portions approximately 4 ounces each to serve. Enjoy! We like the dish with a side of pasta.

Notes

  • Your mahi mahi might come with the skin removed. If so, the “skin side down” instruction will just refer to the first side that faces the pan’s direct heat.
  • We note that you can use fresh garlic and ginger, or the dried version. I suggest you use at least one of those two ingredients fresh, if possible.

Keywords: mahi mahi, pan seared mahi mahi, mahi mahi with orange sauce

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @CookingChatWine on Instagram and hashtag it #CookingChat

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes
« Pairings for Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc from Israel #winePW
Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Bacon »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda

    May 26, 2020 at 10:04 am

    I’m a huge fan of mahi mahi as it was pretty plentiful in Florida and citrus marinades add so much flavor. I hadn’t tried an orange flavor on the fish before but it really turned out delicious. We did grill it instead of pan searing and it was so good we’ll definitely be making it again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Sam

    May 26, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    I love a good mahi mahi. The flavours in this dish sound incredible. Can’t wait to try this on a hot summer day. So good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat

      May 26, 2020 at 6:07 pm

      Thanks Sam! Yes, I’m glad to have more mahi mahi in the freezer to make again.

      Reply
  3. Gavin

    June 07, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    You list the fat content as 5.7 g but mahi-mahi is 1 g per serving. A little spritz of cooking spray or oil won’t add four and a half more grams of fat. What gives?

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat

      June 08, 2020 at 5:58 am

      Thanks for pointing this out, Gavin. I use a third party system to do the calculations and will check into it.

      Reply
      • Melanie

        February 04, 2022 at 7:52 pm

        I made this delicious Mahi-mahi pan seared omg!!
        I paired it with herb rice wild and zucchini blend vegetables!!
        It was one of our favorite ways to have Mahi-mahi!my husband ate it so fast lol Thank you

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Cooking Chat

          February 05, 2022 at 8:53 am

          Glad you and your husband enjoyed it, Melanie!

          Reply
  4. salmon question

    June 15, 2020 at 7:13 am

    Looks delicious, David! Would you recommend this recipe with salmon? I have a box of frozen salmon coming in over the weekend, but I’m not sure how the flavors will mix. Just curious if you’ve tried this!

    Reply
    • Cooking Chat

      June 16, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Yes, I’ve used this or something quite similar with salmon and it works very well. I would definitely suggest trying it!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Simple Pan Seared Salmon with Ginger Soy Marinade | Cooking Chat says:
    October 25, 2016 at 7:56 pm

    […] pan seared salmon sound familiar? Regular readers of Cooking Chat might recall I recently posted Pan Seared Mahi-Mahi with Orange Soy Marinade, which was really my [successful!] attempt to convert my go-to approach for salmon over to […]

    Reply

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Hi there! I'm David. I love creating tasty, (mostly) healthy recipes, finding great wine pairings, and sharing good food with family and friends. learn more about me!

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