Main Dishes

Pesto-crusted Mahi-mahi With Blistered Tomatoes and Lemon Butter Sauce - 2022
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Recipe courtesy of Steve Levesque

INGREDIENTS
Fish

• 4 six-ounce mahi-mahi portions
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tomatoes

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 whole clove garlic, peeled
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 1 stick cold butter, sliced into 8 pats
• 6 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra lemon wedges, for garnish

PREPARATION
Fish

• In medium bowl, mix pesto and breadcrumbs together until they form a coarse paste. Season to taste.
• Place mahi-mahi portions on a large baking sheet.
• Spread pesto mixture evenly across all four portions. Use your fingers to pat the pesto mixture down into the fish to form an even crust.
• Bake at 375 for 12-16 minutes, until cooked through. Fish should reach an internal temperature of approximately 145 degrees F.

Tomatoes

• While the fish cooks, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. When oil shimmers, add tomatoes and garlic clove and let cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes. 
• Season tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste.
• When tomatoes have begun to blister, gently stir to turn them over to blister the other sides. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring minimally, until tomatoes are softened and have charred and blistered on all sides.

Sauce

• Heat oil in a medium, nonreactive skillet over medium heat.
• When oil simmers, add shallot and sauté for 1 minute until shallot has softened.
• Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and remove sauce from heat. Let cool 2-3 minutes, until sauce has stopped simmering but is still warm.
• Whisk in butter one pat at a time, whisking constantly after each addition until the whole pat is melted into the sauce before adding another.
• Continue whisking in butter pats until all butter is incorporated into the sauce. Serve immediately.
• If your sauce breaks, whisk or blend with an immersion blender to emulsify it again.

Assembly
Drizzle a bit of sauce on the bottom of a plate or pasta bowl. Place pesto crusted mahi-mahi on top of the sauce and top with blistered tomatoes. Add a lemon wedge for garnish and serve immediately.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Joan added a little butter on top of the coated mahi-mahi before baking.
• She also plated the mahi-mahi on a bed of spinach sautéed in olive oil.
• Pairs wonderfully with Orzo Pilaf.
• Serve with a nice glass of Willamette Valley pinot noir rosé!

Steve and Anne Levesque are dear friends of the Texas Wozny's. This is a dish Steve served us for dinner a couple of years ago, and it has become one of our family's favorites! A terrific summer meal that is fancy and delicious!

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