Teriyaki Mahi Mahi with Vegetables and Coconut Rice: Faking Fresh
Three o’clock. As the small clock hands approach the quarter-hour mark, small feet and fingers make their way to the front door. It will open with a chorus of voices as my kids fall inside, all limbs and weighed down with multiple bags (three each: lunchbox, backpack, snow gear bag).
As they tumble in, I’ll direct them to their coat hooks, request that the snowy shoes be stored, and have them meet me in the kitchen with their lunchboxes to clear them out and get a snack started. Then the dinner duties begin.
Outside, the weather continues to remind us that winter is not yet over. These last few weeks are holding strong to frozen temperatures and snow-covered earth. The farmers’ market opening is still months away, and my pantry storage of root vegetables and winter squash from fall is nearly gone.
I dream of asparagus and spring strawberries to come. I plan my garden on scraps of paper while staring at seed catalogs with photos of juicy, plump tomatoes. I water my sad-looking herb garden that rests in the window and wonder how it will ever make it to the warmer weather.
Photos by Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com
Sometimes in the middle of the winter I need a bit of a recharge, a dish that will still warm my cold fingers, but one that feels as fresh as summer vegetable ragout and salmon on the grill. This is that dish.
A simple grilled mix of vegetables and fish served over rice is ideal for faking that fresh feeling. Mushrooms and carrots are easy to come by this time of year, and while fresh pineapple is preferred, the canned version will do. Additionally, frozen edamame and frozen mahi mahi are both readily available when fresh sources are lacking, but the dish comes together vibrant and bright while remaining warm and comforting. You could call it a transitional dish as you wait for the snow to cease and the sun to reign once again, one that holds in it the promise of running sap and spring afternoons.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 4 1-inch mahi-mahi steaks frozen or fresh
- 1 pineapple cut into 1"-thick rings or 1 can pineapple rings
- 2 cups hulled edamame
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup diced green onions greens only
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the teriyaki sauce:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari, naturally brewed
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons sweet rice wine
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions, substituting 2/3 cup of the water with the coconut milk.
- While the rice is cooking, mix together all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce with 1/4 cup water, stirring to incorporate the honey. Marinate the mahi-mahi in a zip-top bag with half the sauce for 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, place all the vegetables and the pineapple in the remaining sauce, stirring to coat. After 30 minutes, preheat your griddle over medium-high heat.
- Brush the griddle with the olive oil. Remove the mahi-mahi and the pineapple slices from the marinade and place on the greased grill. Grill the fish for approximately 5 minutes on each side, the pineapple for 3 minutes per side.
- Place the vegetables and the sauce they have been marinating in a sauté pan over medium-high and cook until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring frequently.
- Place coconut rice in a bowl and top with the teriyaki vegetables, grilled pineapple, and the mahi-mahi steaks. Garnish with the green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Do you have any meals you turn to when you need to freshen up the winter fare?
This recipe looks delicious! I will have to try it when I can find a decent source of mahi mahi. Also, that plate you used in the photo is adorable!
Thank you, Amanda! We try to stock up and freeze fish when we do find a sustainable source so that we can enjoy it later for that very reason. The bowls are from Pier 1, and I love them for applications like this and noodles, too. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
This feels like a silly question but here goes… is sweet rice wine different than rice wine vinegar?
It is different! If you can’t find rice wine, you can always substitute a bit of sherry for a similar taste!
Thanks!
Love it! just what I needed.
Are you using coconut milk that comes in a can or the beverage coconut milk that comes in the carton? I hope that’s not a silly question!
Canned, Jenny!
The idea of a bag just for snow gear is totally foreign to me, but I am really really ready for spring too. I love the sound of this dish. It totally makes me want to fly off to a tropical island!
this recipe and its note regarding sustainability reminds me of chef Ned Bell’s concept for sustainable seafood. I live out in hawaii and if your out on the big island you should check him out at the Hualalai four seasons in october. Him and a bunch of visiting chefs are cooking up some killer local grinds! http://foodandwinehualalai.com/ned-bell/
i made this exactly to the recipe and it was bar far the most disgusting thing I’ve ever cooked. We threw it out it was so gross
HI Shaina, Sory for the question! You are cooking 2 cups of rice with 2/3 cup of canned coconut milk. Is that enough liquid? Or am I adding in the rest to equal 4 cups with water?