Dorado

Our favourite fish to eat down here is Dorado which is Spanish for golden. In Hawaii it is called Mahi Mahi which means strong strong.

When in the water, Dorados are usually bright florescent blue/green with a bright blue pectoral fin and yellow or golden spots on their sides. They change colour when out of the water and again when they are dead.

Dorados grow very quickly and have amazing strength. Once hooked, they leap or run fiercely and can exceed 50 miles per hour in short spurts. The Mexican record for the largest Dorado caught is 85 pounds.

Males have a high flat forehead while the female’s head is more rounded. Males live longer and grow faster. Dorados prefer water temperatures between 78 and 85 degrees.

I would say the texture of Dorado is a little firmer than Sole, but not as firm as Halibut. I didn’t care for Mahi Mahi when we were in Hawaii because it was always sold and served in thick pieces. I have my fish monger fillet my Dorado about a quarter of an inch thick and I usually cook it one of the following two ways.

I dip it into flour and then into an egg wash and then into Panko crumbs & salt & pepper and sauté it ‘til browned and serve it with a ROOM temperature sauce on the side. The sauce is a mixture of a thick cream or sour cream, fresh crushed garlic, about a tsp. of Mexican oregano, some tomatillo salsa and a touch of chili sauce. Yummy!

Or I quickly saute the fillets in a little butter and salt & pepper 'til browned and ater plating, I put a big spoonful of Veracruz-style sauce over the fish. The sauce is combination of diced onion, tomato, crushed garlic, thinly sliced black and green olives, capers, just a touch of Mexican oregano and a little chili sauce for heat. I sauté the onion ‘til soft, add the garlic and sauté briefly and then add everything else and stir just ‘til heated through.

By the way, regular oregano won't work in these recipes because it has a different taste than Mexican oregano. You must use Mexican oregano to get the proper flavour. For those at home who would like some of this oregano and/or some tomatillo salsa, let me kow and I'll bring some back with me.