Grilled Mahi Mahi

Week 377. Summer 2023. I am 40 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

I went for a run this morning — the Saturday routine, the greenbelt, the river, the particular meditation of feet on a path and lungs filling and the body doing what it was told it couldn't do. The running group meets rain or shine.

Mason is 12 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.

Lily is 10 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made cold pasta salad this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The cold pasta salad was already in the fridge when I fired up the grill — and mahi mahi felt like the right thing to put over the flame, something bright and simple that didn’t ask too much of me on a Saturday that already felt full. This is the recipe I keep coming back to in summer: fast enough for after a run, good enough to feel like a real dinner under the string lights with the kids, and sturdy enough to share with whoever shows up at the table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 mahi mahi fillets (about 6 oz each), skin removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the grill. Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates to prevent sticking.
Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
Coat the fish. Pat the mahi mahi fillets dry with paper towels. Brush both sides generously with the marinade. Let them sit for 5 minutes at room temperature while the grill finishes heating.
Grill the fillets. Place the fillets on the grill and cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until the fish is opaque throughout and releases easily from the grates. Avoid pressing down or moving the fish too early.
Rest and serve. Transfer to a platter and let rest for 2 minutes. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges alongside your favorite summer sides.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Mahi Mahi — The Food That Connects Every Version of Me