I faced down one of my culinary fears this weekend: Grilled fish. I’ve thought about making grilled fish many times, but I always picture watching my dinner drop through the grate as the delicate little fillets flake and fall to bits. The recipe for Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce in this month’s Bon Appetit sounded so good, though, that I decided to take a risk. After visiting two grocery stores in my quest for mahi-mahi failed, I turned to tuna steaks. Which are imminently grillable, I learned. I overcooked them a bit, but they were still tasty, and the sauce was light, flavorful and a lovely shade of green.
So that was Saturday. The rest of the week isn’t going to be quite so daring, but I hope it’ll be delicious just the same!
- Monday: Chicken sausages and mac & cheese.
- Tuesday: Spaghetti.
- Wednesday: Pork stir-fry.
- Thursday: Poblano, Potato and Corn Gratin.
- Friday: Pizza.
Grilled Tuna with Thai Coconut Sauce
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4 ounces bottled clam juice
4 ounces water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons minced seeded serrano chile
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon minced green onions, divided
4 6-ounce tuna steaksHeat grill to medium-high. Combine first 7 ingredients — coconut milk through fish sauce — in medium skillet. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons serrano chile, depending on level of heat desired; boil until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to generous 3/4 cup, 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro and 1 tablespoon green onions. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Remove 1/4 cup sauce from saucepan and brush onto each piece of fish; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill fish until opaque in center and grill marks appear, 5 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fish. Divide coconut sauce among four plates; top with fish.
*Bonus points to you if you know the title’s inspiration!
Those of you who’ve been hanging around here for awhile may recognize the newest addition to our household. Marsha T. Cat came to us about 7 years ago from an animal rescue place. She was an odd little kitten who liked to put waterdish-moistened tissues in her food and was frightened of the dryer (until she licked it and made friends). Then we moved into an apartment that didn’t allow pets, and Marsha went to live with my stepmother. And there she stayed until this week, when we readopted her.