Catch & Cook – Broiled Mahi Mahi Matecumbe
Eugene L. 04.19.24
Ok so now that I’ve shown you how to break a mahi down, it’s time to show you a way to cook up those tasty fillets. Today I’m showing you how to make Broiled Mahi Matecumbe, based on the famous house specialty at The Fish House Restaurant down in Key Largo. My wife and I visited there last November while on a trip to the Keys, and after having it there I had to make this at home. After bringing home plenty of fresh mahi fillets after fishing the Gulf Stream off of Jacksonville it only makes sense to use some of them to make this delicious recipe. This is a relatively simple recipe to make at home you just need a little bit of extra prep time to get the toppings for the mahi ready.
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Broiled Mahi Matecumbe Ingredients
- Mahi Fillets – Portioned Out
- 3 – Tomatoes – Deseeded and Diced
- 1 – Onion – Finely Diced
- 1 tbsp – Capers
- 2 tbsp – Olive Oil
- Fresh Basil – Finely Chopped
- 1 – Lemon
- Salt & Pepper
- Creole Seasoning
To make the Mahi Matecumbe start with the tomato topping, this needs to sit for at least an hour before you cook it so the flavors combine. Finely dice up your onion and place it into a mixing bowl, then chop up your fresh basil finely and add that to the bowl as well. Cut all your tomatoes in half then use a spoon to deseed them. The seeds with the gel that sits around them contain too much water and will wash out the dish if you leave them in.
Once you deseed all the tomatoes dice them and add them in with the onions and basil. Now all the dicing is done, add the capers, olive oil, and lemon juice to the bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste then mix it all together. Put this to the side for at least an hour, if you’re not going to use it immediately put it in the fridge.
Now that the tomato topping is all prepped you can start on getting the mahi mahi fillets ready. I had a bigger skinless piece that weighed a bit more than 1 pound, so I split that in half to make 2 10oz portions. Then I trimmed the bloodline off the two pieces of mahi. This is an optional step especially if you don’t mind stronger fish flavors, but if you do know your diners aren’t a fan of “fishy” flavors I would recommend just trimming off the bloodline.
After finishing up trimming off the bloodline and a bit of blood from the gaff shot that was close to where this part of the fillet was on the fish, I liberally seasoned them with creole seasonings on both sides. You can go with just salt and pepper, but I prefer creole seasoning. In this case, I used some Tony Chachere’s. Put this aside until the tomato topping is done marinating.
While waiting, set up the oven to broil the fish. Set your oven rack at the top or second to-top slot, about 5 inches from the heating coils. Once the rack is set, turn your oven broiler on high. Rub your mahi portions with some olive oil and then place them into the baking tray skin side of the fillet up. You will broil them on this first side for about 4 minutes, keep an eye on them as they are broiling just in case they burn, which if you do see them browning a bit too much lower the oven rack down a slot. After the first side of the fillets are done, pull the baking tray out of the oven. Make sure to keep the oven closed to retain heat.
Flip the Mahi portions over, and then top with the tomato mix. Put the fillets back into the oven to keep broiling for 6 to 8 minutes until the mahi is opaque in the center. After which pull the fillets out and start your plating. I added a bit more of the fresh tomato topping onto the mahi afterward to have a bit fresher taste as well, you do you though. For sides pick whatever you like, the flavors are going to be pretty bright so the Mahi Matecumbe works well with most anything. I went with some Cuban-style black beans and rice, and steamed broccoli. Add a nice lemon wedge and you are ready to eat. If you do happen to be in the Key Largo area though, do definitely visit The Fish House restaurant and try the original dish this is based on, it is definitely worth the visit and their portions are lot more generous than mine.
