This seared mahi mahi with lemon caper butter sauce, spinach and roasted garlic cauliflower puree is probably my favorite fish dish I’ve had for a while. There are just so many little bursts of tasty flavor in it, and mahi mahi has such a great meaty texture.
The base of the dish starts with roasted a head of cauliflower and head a garlic and whipping them in the food processor with some ricotta and seasonings to make a lovely, super flavorful cauliflower puree. This is topped with seared, seasoned mahi mahi and then the sauce made from lemon, shallot, garlic, capers, butter and parsley. Delicous!
I used frozen mahi mahi. As always if you can get good quality fresh that is great, but my store has really good quality frozen so I prefer to defrost and cook immediately for fresher results. I used a ton of capers in this. You can reduce the amount if you don’t love them as much as we do. 🙂
Lemon Caper Butter Mahi Mahi with Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Puree
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 4 4-6 oz mahi mahi filets
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 lemon thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp capers
- 1 shallot finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- salt and pepper
- smoked paprika
- chopped parsley
- fresh or frozen spinach sauted with some salt and pepper
For the cauliflower puree:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 3 tbsp oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 head garlic top end sliced off
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup milk give or take
Instructions
For the puree:
- Heat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut up cauliflower into florets and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Rub the garlic with oil and place the cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes until tender and garlic is roasted.
- Place the roasted cauliflower and garlic into the food processor and add the ricotta and thyme and blend. Add the milk while you continue to blend until you have a consistency a bit thinner than mashed potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper and put into a pot and keep warm on the stove while you finish the dish.
For the fish:
- Season the filets with salt, pepper and a little smoked paprika. Heat a tbsp or two of oil in a skillet over medium high. Add the mahi and allow it to sit and cook until well browned on one side. Flip and reduce the heat and continue to cook, flipping again if needed to prevent burning, until the fish is fully cooked.
For the sauce:
- Heat the butter until foamy in a skillet. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the capers, lemon slices and lemon juice and let simmer for a minute. Add a1/4 of water to make more sauce and season well with salt and pepper.
To serve:
- Place some cauliflower puree on the plate or in the bowl. Top with the fish and spinach. Spoon over the sauce and top with chopped parsley.