Blackened Mahi Mahi

This deliciously easy Blackened Mahi Mahi Recipe comes together in just a few minutes and cooks up so tasty and moist with tons of flavor from homemade blackened seasoning. This lean white fish is healthy with a slightly sweet flavor. Serve this dish with fresh green beans and mushrooms, over rice, or with a simple salad for a well-balanced meal that you can feel good about feeding your family.

Ingredients to Make Blackened Mahi Mahi

To make this mahi mahi you will need mahi mahi filets, olive oil, butter, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and salt.

How to make Blackened Mahi Mahi

In a small bowl, mix the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, dried oregano, and salt together. Then dry the mahi-mahi fillets and rub a little olive oil over them. Dredge the filets in the blackening seasoning mix.

Now melt butter and heat olive oil in a large pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is good and hot, add the fillets and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Then flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and the fish is cooked through and flakes easily. Spritz with a little fresh lemon juice and serve. 

Helpful tips

• Pat the mahi-mahi dry with paper towels before rubbing it with olive oil.
• After dredging the fish in the blackened spices, discard any leftover seasoning. It should not be repurposed.
• Get the butter and oil fairly hot, so the fish sears creating a delicious blacked crust.
• Fish cooks quite quickly, so stay with the skillet and cook just until the fish is cooked through. It is done when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork at its thickest part.
• Most fish is frozen and vacuum sealed.  Thaw the fish overnight in the refrigerator in the vacuum-sealed packaging.  Do not refreeze fish that was previously frozen and thawed. Use the thawed fish within 1–2 days.
• This recipe works well with snapper, cod, grouper, and sea bass. 
• Flavor-packed blackened fish is spicy.  If your taste buds are sensitive, cut back on the cayenne pepper in the spice blend.
• This fish is delicious with mango salsa or pineapple salsa.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. See below for tips on reheating.

How to reheat mahi-mahi

• Do not reheat mahi-mahi in the microwave.  It may be tempting, but it will dry it out, leaving you with an overcooked, rubbery, flavorless piece of pricey fish.
• To reheat, first, spritz or brush the mahi-mahi with a little olive oil.  Then place it in a foil tent on a baking sheet. Reheat in a preheated 275-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
• Consider flaking the mahi-mahi filet and using it in a salad or at room temperature in tacos.

More seafood recipes to try!

Blackened Mahi Mahi

A quick and easy Blackened Mahi Mahi recipe with a flavor-blasted homemade Cajun seasoning. This tasty recipe comes together in about 15 minutes, making it easily doable on weeknights.

5 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal fish

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 4 Mahi Mahi filets thawed 4 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Seasoning Blend

• ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper this is the hot one so you may want to cut it back
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.

Instructions

• Mix the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, dried oregano, and salt in a small shallow bowl or plate.
• Dry the mahi-mahi filets with paper towels. Rub 1 - 1  1/2 tablespoons olive oil over the filets. Dredge the filets in the blackened seasoning. Discard any leftover seasoning.
• Melt the butter and heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is good and hot, add the fillets and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until it is golden brown and the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.

Notes

• Pat the mahi-mahi dry with paper towels before rubbing it with olive oil.
• After dredging the fish in the blackened spices, discard any leftover seasoning. It should not be repurposed.
• Get the butter and oil fairly hot, so the fish sears creating a delicious blacked crust.
• Fish cooks quite quickly, so stay with the skillet and cook just until the fish is cooked through. It is done when it is opaque and flakes easily with a fork at its thickest part.
• Most fish is frozen and vacuum sealed.  Thaw the fish overnight in the refrigerator in the vacuum-sealed packaging.  Do not refreeze fish that was previously frozen and thawed. Use the thawed fish within 1–2 days.
• This recipe works well with snapper, cod, grouper, and sea bass. 
• Flavor-packed blackened fish is spicy.  If your taste buds are sensitive, cut back on the cayenne pepper in the spice blend.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. See below for tips on reheating.  

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 297mg | Potassium: 747mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 1024IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg

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