If you’re an avid angler, then you’ve probably done the whole catch and cook thing, right? And now you’re growing bored of the same fish all the time, right? If so, then it’s time to head to Florida for some fresh mahi-mahi!

Not only can you catch this delectable dorado (as it’s known in Central America), but keep reading, and we will teach you how to cook a delicious Fish Piccata with your fresh mahi-mahi.

Deer Meat For Dinner

Deer Meat For Dinner, or Robert Arrington, is an avid hunter, angler, and all-around family man. He and his wife started his YouTube channel together, which currently has 2.89 million subscribers.

Robert is a waste-not kind of guy and believes in using as much of the kill as possible. His videos focus on fishing in exotic locations, vlogs, recipes and how to’s, which is what we’re focusing on today.

How To Catch and Cook Mahi-Mahi

Join us as we take you through how to catch and cook a dorado (cleaning included), as well as provide you with a fantastic recipe for cooking your filleted fish. This is always a great recipe to have on hand to impress guests.

Catch and Cook Step 1: Catching a Mahi-Mahi

You’ll find this fish offshore in the Atlantic Ocean from New Jersey to Florida, as well as in the Gulf of California, so catching mahi-mahi can open up some new locations to travel to – family fishing trip, anyone?

To catch, you can use it’s recommended to use ballyhoo or a hookless teaser lure before casting your fly. Once caught, be prepared for a bit of a dance to reel it in.

Catch and Cook Step 2: Cleaning Your Fresh Catch

To fillet your freshly caught mahi-mahi, follow this step-by-step guide.

1. Cut behind the gill plate towards the head with a fillet knife.
2. Trace the curve of the head and then bring it back towards the tail along the backbone.
3. Cutting back towards the head, make the backbone cut deeper until you hear your knife connecting with the bones.
4. Continue the cut past the bloodline and cut until you remove the top layer entirely.
5. Flip the fish over and repeat.
6. Remove the skin by gripping the skin and slicing your knife from end to end.
7. To remove the strong fishy flavour, cut out the deep red bloodline and remove.
8. Finally, cut into large sections, and you’re ready to cook.

Catch and Cook Step 3: Fish Piccata with Mahi-Mahi

Creating something delicious from mahi-mahi is not as difficult as you might think. Try this straightforward recipe for fish piccata with mahi-mahi.

Ingredients:

• Fresh mahi-mahi fillets
• Butter
• Oil
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1Tbsp chopped basil
• Everglade Seasoning
• All-purpose flour
• 1 cup White wine (a pinot grigio is recommended)
• Capers
• Meyer lemon, sliced
• 1/2 Cup Basil, chopped

Method:

1. Slice any thicker mahi-mahi sections to around 1cm thick, so you have a nice thin fillet of approximately 100g each.
2. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper, and Everglade Seasoning and massage together until evenly coated.
3. Bread your fillets in all-purpose flour and set them aside.
4. Over medium to high heat, melt some butter and oil together in a pan and add a fillet to fry.
5. Sprinkle in some capers, and add the wine (caution: flames if cooking over gas).
6. Add lemon slices to your pan and squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the pan and over the fish.
7. Add another 1.5 Tbsp butter to the pan and stir in.
8. Let simmer for a few minutes and then flip the fillet.
9. Add chopped basil into the pan.
10. You can add a bit of water if your piccata sauce is reducing down too quickly.
11. Reduce stove to low heat.
12. Add another 1.5 Tbsp of butter to the pan, stir, and let the sauce thicken (you can also remove from heat temporarily).
13. Once sauce has thickened slightly, remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes.
14. Serve on a bed of mashed potatoes with a side of wilted spinach. Garnish the fillet with a slice or two of lemon, and spoon over some sauce. Enjoy!

You’re Done!

Those are the steps to making a fish piccata. You don’t have to use mahi-mahi, any fish fillet should do, but we recommend the dorado for its mild flavour and faintly sweet undertone.

Watch the man in action below!

Do you want more catch and cook recipes? Let us know in the comments. Check out more How To’s on the Ocean Blue Magazine now!

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