Florida Seafood Recipe: Mahi with Papaya Coconut Curry

Tropical fish deserve some tropical taste. Taking its cues from Caribbean cuisine, this recipe, courtesy of Florida Chef Justin Timineri, for mahi with papaya coconut curry offers some bold flavors, perfectly complimenting this strong fish (mahi-mahi means very strong in Hawaiian).

Mahi with Papaya Coconut Curry

Serves 4

Mahi

• Four 6 oz. mahi-mahi fillets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Season mahi fillets with salt and pepper
2. Heat oil in large sauté pan on medium-high; add fillets and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.
3. Serve with Florida Papaya Coconut Curry Sauce (recipe below).

Papaya Coconut Curry

• 2 ripe papaya, cubed
• ½ cup mirin rice wine
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
• ½ tsp. Thai red curry paste
• Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Papaya Coconut Curry
2. Place papaya cubes, mirin rice wine, white wine, ginger and turmeric in heavy medium-size saucepan.
3. Boil until reduced to ¼ cup.
4. Add cream and coconut milk; bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. Stir in curry paste.
7. Season the sauce to taste with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
8. Reserve papaya cubes for garnish and strain remaining sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
9. Set aside.

For more Florida seafood recipes, click here.

The official Chef of Florida, Justin Timineri, shares some of his recipes with us. A proponent of eating healthy, locally-grown and harvested produce and seafood, Timineri’s recipes imbue that Fresh From Florida flavor. For more on chef Justin, click here.

   Recipes and images courtesy of Chef Justin Timineri and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For more recipes coming from Timineri’s kitchen, click here.