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by Dana Sandonato//June 5, 2019 (updated May 20, 2023)
Looking for a good mahi mahi recipe? This Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lime Butter is the perfect summer dish!
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Add More Fish to Your Summer Menu!
Beef tends to dominate the grill come summertime—and second to beef is chicken. But once you get the hang of grilling a nice fillet of fish, your dinner priorities will change.
There’s so much freshness going on with this lean mahi mahi recipe. The flaky, chili-seasoned fillet and the zesty lime butter offers up summer on a plate!
You can cook it directly on the grill or, if you’re feeling fancy, spruce things up with a cedar plank.
You Don’t Need a Lot of Ingredients
Mahi mahi has such a nice and mild flavor, you don’t need to do much to it in order to make it delicious. And the seasoning mix we use here is just a jumble of pantry staples you likely already have on hand.
Here’s what you’ll need for this mahi mahi recipe:
- Mahi mahi fillets
- Avocado or olive oil
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Sea salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Butter
- Limes
How Long Do You Grill Mahi Mahi?
Depending on the thickness of the fillet, 2-4 minutes per side typically does the trick!
You’re always looking for an internal temperature of 140-145º F.
How to Grill Mahi Mahi
Grilling fish is easy, but there are some extra steps necessary in order to have a successful run.
Preparing the mahi mahi:
- Take the mahi mahi out of the fridge about 15 minutes before you plan to cook them so that you can bring them to room temperature. This will help you get a more even cook on the fillets. Gently, pat the fillets dry with paper towels and set them aside.
- While your fillets come to room temp, whip up the lime butter and the spice blend.
- Transfer the fillets to a mixing bowl, drizzle them with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle them with the seasoning. Then, gently toss the fillets with your bare hands to evenly coat them.
Preparing the grill:
- Make sure you’re working with a clean grill. Preheat it somewhere between 400-450º F.
- Once the grates are hot, dip a wad of paper towel into a small dish of oil and, holding the paper with tongs, gently glide it along the hot grates. This will create a nice slick non-stick surface. Continue to wipe the grates with the oiled paper towels, dipping into the oil between applications, until the grates are dark and glossy. This could take between 5-10 swipes, but it’s super important, because creating this coating on the grates will prevent the fish from sticking and falling apart.
Grilling the mahi mahi:
- Place the fillets on the grill diagonal to the grate slats. If your fillets have skin, make sure to start by placing them skin-side down.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover the grill; allow the fish to cook without trying to move it until the skin is golden and crisp. This should take about 2 to 4 minutes.
- After 2-4 minutes is up, try lifting a corner of the fish with your fish turner or spatula. If the fish doesn’t easily release itself from off the grill, don’t force it. Let the fillet cook longer, checking it every 30 seconds until it releases.
- Once the fillets release, carefully flip them over.
- Cover the grill again and let the fish cook until the centers of the fillets are opaque and register 140-145º F on an instant-read meat thermometer.
- When done, remove the fillets from the grill and let them to rest on a plate or flat surface for a few minutes.
- Give the fillets a generous smear of lime butter and enjoy!
Useful Tools for This Recipe:
- Sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Microplane
- Meat thermometer
- Tongs (to clean the grates, not to turn the fish)
- Fish turner or Grill spatula
- Juice reamer
Recipe Tips + Tricks.
- Always make sure your grill slats are clean and clear of debris when grilling anything, but especially fish.
- Make sure the grill grates are well-slicked and hot before placing the fillets onto them.
- Never force your fish fillets to move once they hit the hot grill, or they will tear. Always let them cook for a few minutes. Once they release from the grill easily, only then are they ready to be flipped over.
- Don’t use tongs to flip fillets of fish on the grill. Your best option is a fish turner. These are long enough to scoop up and properly support a full fillet.
- If your mahi mahi fillets have skin, always start by grilling skin-side down.
- Don’t overcook the fillets. You want an internal temperature of 145ºF. This is the perfect temperature for a nice, flaky, and moist fish. You can check the internal temp with a trusty meat thermometer.
- Make your lime butter a few hours or even a whole day in advance to maximize flavor.
Have You Made This Recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!
You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme
Check Out These Other Awesome Grilled Fish Recipes:
- Swordfish Steaks with Olives and Herbs
- Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Easy Grilled Salmon Kebabs with Chimichurri
- Grilled Tuna Steak Salad with Wasabi Vinaigrette
- Grilled Jerk Fish Tacos
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lime Butter
Looking for a good mahi mahi recipe? This Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lime Butter is the perfect summer dish!
5 from 25 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 226kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato
Ingredients
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi.
- 2 6 oz fillets of mahi mahi
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Lime Butter.
- 2 TBSP room temperature butter
- Zest and juice of one lime
Instructions
Lime Butter.
Place the room temperature butter in a small bowl. Add the lime zest and juice, and mix it with a fork until cohesive; set aside.
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi.
Take the fillets out of the fridge, pat them dry, and bring them to room temp. (This helps you get a more even cook on the fillet.)
In a small bowl, mix the spices together from the chili powder to the salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
Place the fillets in a bowl, drizzle the olive oil over each fillet, and sprinkle the seasoning blend over the fillets. With your bare hands, gently toss the fillets in the oil and seasoning to coat; set aside.
Heat the grill to medium-high heat (somewhere around 400-450º F). Once the grates are heated, lightly dip a bunched up paper towel in oil. Holding the paper towel with tongs, drag it across the hot grates to create a slick surface. Continue to wipe the grates with the oiled paper towels, re-dipping the towels in oil between applications, until the grates are black and glossy. Depending on your grate, this could take between 5-10 swipes. Building a coating on the grates will prevent your fish fillets from sticking.
Place the fillets on the grill (skin-side down if your fillets have skin) diagonal to the grate slats. Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the grill. Let the fish cook without disturbing it or moving it until the skin is golden brown and crisp—about 2 to 4 minutes.
Try gently sliding a spatula beneath the fish. If it doesn’t easily release itself from off the grill, don't force it. Let it continue to cook, checking it every 30 seconds, until it releases. At that point, carefully flip the fillet. (If you don't have a proper wide fish spatula, you may want to use two spatulas for flipping.)
Cover the grill and let the fillets cook until the centers of the fillets are opaque and register 140º F on an instant-read thermometer. (This can take between 3 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet. The ideal internal temperature for fish is 145º F, but protein will continue to cook once removed from the heat, so I like to take it off a little early to ensure I have flaky and tender perfection.
When ready, remove the fillets from the grill and allow them to rest for a few minutes.
Slather lime butter over the fillets and enjoy.
Serving tips.
I like serving these fillets with fresh cut grape tomatoes thrown over top. You can also add some freshly chopped herbs like cilantro or parsley. These fillets pair well with almost any veg side, so go wild.
Nutrition
Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 9g | Fiber: 1g
posted in: Breezy Weeknight Dinners, Fish and Seafood, Food, Pescatarian // 38 comments
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DT —Reply
Absolutely delicious, and easy to make!Andrea —Reply
This chili seasoned mahi mahi was marvelous especially with the addition of the lime butter. It’s a perfect summertime recipe.Dannii —Reply
The seasoning on this was perfect. So light and fresh.Cynthia —Reply
I’m always looking for ways to spice up my fish recipes..(see what I did there!) This is delicious with just the right amount of heat!dina and bruce miller —Reply
This was out of this world! Wow, the lime butter was so good! We are going to make this to put on all of our grilling!! So good! Gonna use on chicken tonight!!Dannii —Reply
So light and fresh. The perfect summer meal.Suja md —Reply
This is fabulous! We love this recipe.Tara —Reply
This Mahi Mahi is absolutely amazing, especially paired with the vibrant asparagus. Such a wonderful combination of flavors.Gina Abernathy —Reply
So delicious! My family loved this recipe and I plan to make it more during the summer months.Sammi —Reply
Oh wow, this is so delicious. My family devoured it!Katy —Reply
Used precise measurements and all ingredients. Average flavor, average results. Grilled asparagus as a side dish.
Skip Cadigan —Reply
This recipe was fairly easy and delicious!Erika —Reply
Oh my god this was amazing! Thank you!Killing Thyme —Reply
Yay! :)
Gina —Reply
Grilled this up over the weekend and it was a hit. It had great flavor. Everyone really enjoyed it!Killing Thyme —Reply
Happy to hear it!
Andrea —Reply
This looks so fresh and amazing. I love mahi mahi and usually blacken it but I’m going to try this next time!Killing Thyme —Reply
It’s definitely a nice change :)
Casey —Reply
Literally the perfect EASY summer supper! The lime butter was divine!!Killing Thyme —Reply
The lime butter is drool-worthy! Though, I guess any butter is, right? Haha ;)
Holley —Reply
Whoa, is this amazing! So flavorful and my kids even love it!Killing Thyme —Reply
That’s amazing!
Tayler Ross —Reply
I made this mahi for dinner last night and it was a total hit! I’ve been trying to make more fish, and this recipe was a welcome addition to our rotation!Killing Thyme —Reply
Fish is so much fun to work with once you get into the groove!
Kalisha —Reply
This was incredible! I’ve never flavored butter before, so thank you for that. And who new tasty fish could be so simple? We’re having friends for dinner this Friday and I’m totally making these! Gonna impress! It’s gonna SLAP.Killing Thyme —Reply
Flavoring butter is such a game changer! I hope it’s a hit with your guests :)
Sally Shivers —Reply
I’m saying awesome! Didn’t grill, but did stovetop similarly .
YummKilling Thyme —Reply
I’m glad that stovetop did the trick :)
Dannii —Reply
This fish looks amazing. Perfectly cooked and the seasoning sounds incredible.Killing Thyme —Reply
Thank you!
Tavo —Reply
What I love about this recipe is that it comes out perfectly every time. It just delivers! I love it!Killing Thyme —Reply
I’m so glad to hear this, Tavo! Mahi Mahi is such a great and easy fish to work with.
Nathan —Reply
I’ve never made mahi-mahi myself, but this recipe is one I HAVE to try. So many great flavors, and that lime butter also has my attention. Thanks for the recipe!Killing Thyme —Reply
Please do keep me posted!
Artney —Reply
Mahi is one of my absolute favorite types of fish! I love the lime butter with the hint of chili seasoning. So much flavor and delicious!Killing Thyme —Reply
So glad you enjoyed this, Artney! Mahi Mahi is totally one of my favorites too. Especially for fish tacos!
Jess —Reply
I have been looking for a good Mahi Mahi recipe. Found it!!Killing Thyme —Reply
Yay!
