Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches

Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches is an easy, delicious and surprisingly fast dinner to make during peach season.

Remember how I said the cough was gone? Not so fast, my friends! (And if you are a college football fan, feel free to imagine Lee Corso on ESPN’s College Gameday; if you are not just ignore me.) Alex brought home some virus (gotta love school starting back up!), which turned into a cold, which turned into a sinus infection, which turned into another cold, which has turned into a lingering cough. Which has all turned into yet another late post with me starting off with excuses.

Gah.

I made this Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches a while ago (see above excuses) but we are still getting good domestic peaches if not local, so I say it is not too late to make this dish. And really you want to– it is seriously tasty. It comes together quickly for a dish with the word “stewed” in it.

This dish was inspired by me wanting to try out some spices from Burlap and Barrel, a company that I read about at Epicurious about ethically sourced spices that bypass the middle men and are ordered directly by the consumer. Of course I was instantly intrigued, and have either ordered from or plan to order from three of the companies they discuss. Anyway, Burlap and Barrel was the company whose spices I received first. I was especially excited to try certain single origin spices that were described as having very distinct flavors (the Wild Mountain Cumin, for example). I am excited to report that Epicurious did not exaggerate the differences!

The afore-mentioned Wild Mountain Cumin, for example, is delicious and different (Epicurious describes it as having a fruitiness, saltiness and minerality that I confess would not have jumped to my mind–I would have just said exciting and unique and therefore worth trying). The Mediterranean Coriander also used in this Mahi Mahi and Stewed Spiced Peaches is likewise exciting and different (but once again I am not good at describing how it is different) [Update 2019: they seem to now be carrying what they call a Nile Coriander]. I do not consider myself a fennel connoisseur, but Alex, who adores chomping on straight fennel seeds, assured me that the Desert Fennel was fantastic and noticeably different. Their vibrant Silk Chili also shows up in this dish, and is extra notable for making me aware of the fact that true Aleppo pepper cannot be acquired right now due to the situation in Syria. I have more spices to try still from them, but those are the ones that are used in this dish. I emphasize the differences because while supporting fair trade spices is of course laudable, what is really impressive about these spices is that by identifying single origins and getting them to you faster, they taste unlike the spices you normally reach for. Worth supporting and worth buying!

I know this post reads like a sponsored post but it is not. It is just me passing along a super cool discovery. Can you make the Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches without these specific spices? Of course, but I think it is worth trying these if you enjoy cooking with spices.

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Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches

See conversation above for links to the specific spices I used in this dish. If you are not so inclined, this dish will also be delicious with typical supermarket spices, just not as unique and not quite as vibrant (due to freshness of spices). 

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: fish, peaches, seafood

Ingredients

For stewed spiced peaches:

• 1-2 T vegetable oil
• 1/2 t desert fennel seeds
• 1 t mountain cumin seeds, plus more later
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 large red onions, diced
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/2 t ground turmeric, plus more later
• 1/2 t silk chile pepper, plus more later
• 1 t Mediterranean coriander, ground
• 1 t mountain cumin, ground
• 1/4 t ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 2 large peaches, cored and diced, tossed in juice of one lime
• sea salt as needed (see instructions)

For mahi mahi:

• 4 filets mahi mahi
• 3 zanzibar black peppercorns
• 1/8 t turmeric
• 1/8 t silk chile pepper
• 1/4 t Mediterranean coriander seeds
• 1/4 t mountain cumin seeds
• 3 pinches coarse sea salt
• 2 T vegetable oil

For garnish:

• cooked Basmati rice
• Lime wedges
• Cilantro leaves (I did not have, optional)

Instructions

First start the stewed spiced peaches:

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and curry leaves (be careful of the curry leaves splattering). Stir the spices occasionally and let them roast until darkened and fragrant.

2. Add the onions with a pinch of salt. Turn the heat up to to medium high. Stir occasionally and cook until caramelizing, about 10-15 minutes. Keep some water by the cooktop to splash a little in if the onions start to stick or scorch.

3. Add the garlic, turmeric and silk chile pepper. Stir and let cook for 3 minutes.

4. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin and cinnamon. Stir and let cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Add the peaches with a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to gently simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

While the peaches are simmering, prepare the mahi mahi:

1. Combine all of the ingredients (spices and seasoning) except the fish and oil of course in a spice grinder. Grind to make a spice blend. 

2. Divide the spice blend between the 4 filets and rub on both sides. Let rest until the peaches have cooked for 20 minutes.

Bringing the dish together:

1. First taste the peaches. They might need salt or lime juice. Once you have them tasting how you want them, reduce the heat and cook the fish.

2. Heat the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the fish filets and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through so that it flakes when pressed.

3. Spoon some Basmati rice into a shallow bowl. Place the cooked fish on top of it. Spoon some of the stewed spiced peaches beside the fish. Garnish with lime wedges and chopped cilantro if you have it.

Looking for a Mahi Mahi with Stewed Spiced Peaches collage to post?