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    Ask Chef Dennis » Recipes » Main Meals » Seafood Recipes » How to Poach Mahi-Mahi – Restaurant-Style

    How to Poach Mahi-Mahi – Restaurant-Style

    Published: Mar 14, 2021 · Modified: Jun 23, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley · 58 Comments·This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    4.98 from 46 votes
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    Pinterest image for poached mahi-mahi

    Poaching Mahi-Mahi is a delicious and easy way to serve this fish and often the technique used at your favorite restaurant to cook Mahi.

    It’s often been said that Mahi-Mahi is a powerhouse of healthy protein and no it’s not a dolphin. Although it can be referred to as “dorado or dolphinfish” it’s not a mammal, and dolphin by name only. There’s no need to worry about flipper ending up on your dinner table!

    poached mahi-mahi with shrimp on a bed of spinach, tomatoes and rice on a white plate

    What you will get with Mahi-Mahi is a very lean fish that is chock full of essential amino acids and enzymes. Including Omega-3 fatty acids. And Mahi-Mahi (the fish so nice they named twice) can be cooked a numbers of ways allowing you to have fun creating delicious restaurant-style dishes in your own kitchen.

    What Ingredients do I need to Make Poached Mahi-Mahi?

    overhead shot of ingredients to make poached mahi-mahi

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my restaurant style Poached Mahi-Mahi. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.

    Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    What other Fish Can I poach?

    These are some of my other favorite fish to cook with the poaching method.

    • Tuna
    • Swordfish
    • Halibut
    • Barramundi
    • Arctic char
    • Dover sole
    • Salmon

    How do I poach Mahi-Mahi?

    Poaching fish is easier than you think and a wonderful way to not only cook fish quickly but also helping to keep it moist and flavorful while keeping down the calories.

    And the best part is you can cook dinner in one pan! Traditionally a Court-Bouillon is used to poach fish, but don’t get worried it sounds fancier than it really is.

    mahi-mani and shrimp with salt and pepper on a white plate

    The first step is to rinse and pat dry the mahi-mahi with paper towels. The salt and pepper the fish.

    seared mahi- mahi with court bouillon vegetables in a large saute pan

    Add a little olive oil to a large heated skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the Mahi-Mahi fillets, garlic and veggies to the pan.

    After 1 minute in the hot skillet, gently turn the fillets over and continue cooking for another minute.

    How do I make a Court Bouillon?

    vegetables and court bouillon liquids in a large saute pan

    Remove the Mahi from the skillet and set aside until needed.

    Add the white wine, stock and lemon juice to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow the stock to reduce by half.

    strained court bouillon in a large skillet with a spoon

    When the court bouillon has reduced by half, strain the mixture removing all of the vegetables.

    *Discard the vegetables or season and continue cooking them in a little olive oil to serve with the fish.

    If you want a richer broth, you can, of course, let it simmer for a few hours (which would require adding more water to the pan as it cooks away) my dish came out pretty well for using this shortcut method. You can also add some of your favorite fresh herbs to this broth, enhancing the flavors to create your own signature dish.

    To make a court-bouillon you need just a few items; celery, carrots, onions, and an acidic ingredient along with other liquids. You can use citrus (lime or lemon), wine, or vinegar. Or a combination of any of the ingredients, I used lemon and white wine. I also added a few garlic cloves, and used vegetable stock instead of just plain water, kicking up the flavor profile even more.

    As the court-bouillon reduces, you can enhance the flavors by adding cream, butter or other fresh herbs….. It’s your kitchen, have fun experimenting!

    It’s really that easy, and when you think of it the court-bouillon is basically just a mirepoix (cut up celery, onions and carrots, used in many dishes as well as soups). See now you’ve learned more French terms to make bantering around the kitchen even more fun….you’re almost ready for the tall white hat.

    mahi, shrimp, spinach and tomatoes added to court bouillon

    Reduce the heat to medium and return the Mahi to the pan along with shrimp, spinach and tomatoes. Sprinkle half the lemon zest on top of the Mahi.

    Allow Mahi and other ingredients to continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.

    If you’d like to test the fish to see if it’s done insert a very sharp knife into the thickest part of the Mahi to see if it’s done to your liking.

    *This fish can be served a little undone. This will keep it from being dry.

    spinach, tomatoes and buerre manie added to court bouillon

    Remove the Mahi and shrimp from the pan and plate over prepared rice or your favorite grain.

    Dredge a piece of butter into flour and add it to the pan and mix well until blended in. This is called a Beurre Manie and will help thicken the sauce.

    poached mahi-mahi with shrimp on a bed of spinach, tomatoes and rice on a white plate

    Spoon the spinach mixture over the Mahi and rice and enjoy!

    **You can peel the shrimp if you like before serving or simply have your guests peel them with the dinner.

    More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love!

    • Blackened Mahi-Mahi with a Pineapple Lobster Sauce
    • Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Caponata
    • Pan Seared Halibut
    • Red Snapper with a Lobster Cream Sauce

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

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    poached mahi-mahi with shrimp on a bed of spinach, tomatoes and rice on a white plate
    Print Recipe Save Saved!
    4.98 from 46 votes

    How to Poach Mahi-Mahi

    Whether you poach Mahi-Mahi or your favorite fish, this cooking technique will be one you'll rely on time and time again.  It's easy to modify and always produces a moist and flavorful fish.
    Updated from Original post-> March 11, 2015
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: French
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 382kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 1 stalk celery rough cut
    • 1 medium carrot rough cut
    • ½ medium onion rough cut
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 12 ounce mahi-mahi 2 fillets
    • 4 jumbo shrimp shell on
    • sea salt and black pepper
    • 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
    • ½ cup white wine
    • ½ lemon juice only
    • 1 lemon zest only
    • 2 cups baby spinach
    • 1 cup grape tomatoe s cut half long way
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    US Customary – Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Rinse then pat dry the Mahi fillets with paper towels
    • Season the filets with sea salt and black pepper
    • In a large heated skillet add the olive oil (medium high heat)
    • Add the Mahi-Mahi fillets, garlic and veggies
    • After 1 minute in the hot skillet, gently turn the fillets over and continue cooking for another minute
    • Remove the Mahi from the skillet and set aside
    • Add the white wine, stock and lemon juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil and allow the stock to reduce by half.
    • When the court bouillon has reduced by half, strain the mixture removing all of the vegetables.
      *Discard the vegetables or season and continue cooking to serve with the fish.
    • Reduce the heat to medium and return the Mahi to the pan along with shrimp, spinach and tomatoes. Sprinkle half the lemon zest on top of the Mahi.
    • Allow Mahi and other ingredients to continue cooking for 3-4 minutes.
      If you'd like to test teh fish to see if its done insert a very sharp knife into the thickest part to see if its done cooking.
    • Remove the Mahi and shrimp from the pan and serve over prepared rice or your favorite grain.
    • Dredge a piece of butter into flour and add it to the pan and mix well until blended in. This is called a Beurre Manie and will help thicken the sauce
    • Spoon the spinach mixture over the Mahi and rice and enjoy!
    • **You can peel the shrimp if you like before serving or simply have your guests peel them with the dinner.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 1009mg | Potassium: 1246mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4385IU | Vitamin C: 64.5mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 4mg
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    Pinterest image for poached mahi-mahi
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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chandice Probst

      March 21, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      This was so informative and helpful in my experience of poaching mahi mahi! Thank you for a delicious and helpful recipe, my family loved the mahi-mahi

      Reply
    2. Eva

      March 21, 2021 at 3:36 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe and I can’t wait to put my skills to the test making this easy and quick Court Bouillon! I can’t find mahi-mahi here in Sweden but we get some fine cod from neighbouring Norway so I’m going to try your recipe with my local fish.

      Reply
    3. Alex

      March 20, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      I didn’t realize Mahi-Mahi was so healthy! It’s time I look further than salmon. We really enjoyed the mahi-mahi it was a great change!

      Reply
    4. Erin

      March 20, 2021 at 2:36 pm

      You always have such interesting recipes! Especially seafood. And I had never even heard of court bouillon. I’m so happy I read this. This looks like another fantastic recipe to try soon!

      Reply
    5. Jacqueline Debono

      March 20, 2021 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      We don’t have mahi mahi here in Northern Italy. In Italian, it’s called capone or lampuga and it’s only available in the south during the autumn as it’s a migatory fish. But, I’d love to try your recipe with some swordfish or sole. It looks delicious!

      Reply
    6. Shelley

      March 20, 2021 at 9:50 am

      5 stars
      Hahaha – “the fish so nice they named it twice”! So true! We spend a lot of time in Florida, and mahi is on the menu in so many forms. Delicious and so healthy – just how I like it! I love your “shortcut” method here – it definitely adds the third element to how I prefer to cook at home – besides being delicious and healthy, it’s also so quick and easy!

      Reply
    7. Tristin @ Home Cooked Harvest

      March 19, 2021 at 2:25 pm

      5 stars
      My whole family loves fish dishes and my husband especially loves Mahi. He raved about your recipe.

      Reply
      • Amy Liu Dong

        March 19, 2021 at 8:51 pm

        5 stars
        Such an easy, healthy and delicious dish to make today for my family. I am sure they will love it. Thanks, Chef!

        Reply
    8. Jenny

      March 19, 2021 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      I really appreciate this recipe, it is a great guide on how to poach fish. Usually, I am hopeless but was able to pull it off thanks to you. Thanks so much, Chef, it was so easy to make.

      Reply
    9. rika

      March 17, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      My family loves eating fish, especially mahi-mahi! They gave this dish 5 stars!

      Reply
    10. Catalina

      March 17, 2021 at 3:52 am

      5 stars
      This really looks like a restaurant style mahi mahi. It’s great to make it at home!

      Reply
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