grilled mahi-mahi, tropical salsa, thai-style rice noodles

***in which i learn that my noodles tasted like crap. but that tropical salsa is amazing, and can be used for a multitude of things. i think you could put that stuff on a bumper and it would taste good***


I have been (slooooowly) trying to incorporate more fish into our weekly repertoire. Scott is, to put it mildly, not a huge fan of fish, although his horizons have been gradually expanding to include things beyond shrimp and scallops. He's a huge fan of lobster and crab, and after being served lots of freshly-caught, grilled mahi-mahi in Costa Rica, he developed a bit of a liking for that fish as well.

(It would be better for us all here to not mention our Turkish fish experience, which included lots of bones and a couple of eyeballs - on my plate. Scott managed to get away with a nice fillet of bonito - tuna - which he seemed to actually enjoy! I still don't know what kind of fish I had, but I bet you anything he was swimming about three hours before I ate him)

So Wegman's has recently (I think) begun selling these great two-packs of different fish fillets - they have mahi-mahi, Alaskan halibut, sockeye salmon, Chilean sea bass and orange roughy, which is fantastic because they are not only manageable portions but they are Frozen At Sea (FAS), which is a designation that you should always look for when purchasing frozen fish. I like buying fish like this because we don't have a real fishmonger (oh, I love that word) in our town and this lets me keep it on ice until we're bold enough to use it.

Oh, and BONUS! This recipe is easy peasy. And the whole thing (with the salsa) is approx. 5 Points.

Mahi Mahi Kebabs with Tropical Salsa
Serves 4

For the salsa:
2 cups diced mango
1 cup diced pineapple
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 to 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

For the fish:
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 pounds mahi mahi steaks, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1. Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl; cover and chill.
2. Stir together soy sauce, honey and ginger in a shallow bowl. Add mahi mahi chunks; cover and chill at least 30 minutes.
3. Thread fish on soaked bamboo skewers. Grill, covered with lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with salsa mixture.

I served this with some super-thin rice noodles that I mixed with sweet Thai chili sauce. But for some reason, the noodles were a soggy mass of goo that wasn't appetizing at all. Maybe I'll cook them for less time on the next go-round? And the green beans weren't working for me either. That's what you get for rushing dinner to try and get to poker night, only to get a flat tire on the way there. (Bonus - I tied for first and won $70!)

I highly recommend making this salsa and serving it with just about anything - it's sweet, but the jalapeno and the lime give it enough of a kick that the sweetness doesn't overwhelm. Fish, chicken, tacos, even just some tortilla chips - hell, I was eating it with a fork out of the container. I bought pre-cut mango chunks from the grocery store and then put the salsa back in that container, which worked out wonderfully because a) it stayed fresh for quite a while, and b) it gave me dreams about packaging and selling "Kate's Famous Mango Salsa".


Oh, and I cut this recipe in half and cut the salsa mix in something like a quarter, and it was fine. Just eyeball it and taste along the way.