Mahi deserves a place in every kitchen. This mild, sweet-tasting fish has a firm, white flesh and adapts amazingly well to a range of flavors and cooking methods.

Broiled, poached, grilled, baked or fried—mahi is fantastic no matter how it is prepared. If you have never cooked with this versatile fish, try mahi marinated with mango chutney or grilled with a pineapple and jalapeno salsa.            

Also known as:

 Mahi, mahimahi, dolphin fish, dolphin, dorado

Availability:

 Year-round

Product forms:

 Fresh and frozen, fillets, steaks, whole, headed and gutted

Shopping tips:

 Look for mahi with brightly colored skin and a pinkish hue to its meat

Substitutions:

 Mahi is an excellent substitute for less ocean-friendly species such as grouper, snapper or Chilean sea bass.

Recipes:

Coconut marinated wild-caught mahi with mango chutney

Grilled wild-caught mahi with pineapple and jalapeno salsa
Mahi fishery: Mahi are usually caught with hook and line gear. More.

Conservation notes:

 Mahi is considered an ocean-friendly seafood choice because it is a fast-growing fish and the fishing gear used does not cause significant habitat destruction. More.
Last updated: April 2008

 

Mahi Fishery

Most hook and line fishermen tow several fishing lines behind their moving boat, a technique known as trolling. As soon as a fish is hooked, the fishermen reel it in. This means that unwanted species can be released almost immediately and often without serious injury.

Some mahi are caught with longline fishing gear. Longlines consist of a long central line that has smaller fishing lines with baited hooks spaced along its length. The lines are left in the water for several hours before the fishes are harvested. Accidental capture and injury of unwanted species can be a problem.

Mahi are fished worldwide, in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Conservation Notes 

Mahi is considered a ocean-friendly seafood choice because it is a fast-growing fish and the fishing gear used does not cause significant habitat destruction.

Some fishes grow very slowly, which means their populations do not recover quickly when they are overfished. Since mahi is a fast-growing species, it can handle a relatively high amount of fishing pressure without risking the population’s survival.

Many types of commercial fishing gear can cause significant habitat destruction. Mahi are typically fished with trolling and longline gear, both of which are used at or near the surface. This means that mahi fishing gear rarely comes in contact with the ocean floor, significantly reducing the risk of habitat destruction.

Some types of commercial fishing gear may catch large numbers of unwanted fishes and other animals, a problem known as bycatch. Hook-and-line fisheries, such as troll-caught mahi, have a very low rate of bycatch. But bycatch can be a problem for longline fisheries, which are known to accidentally capture other fishes, sea turtles, sea birds and sharks. When possible, choose hook-and-line or troll-caught mahi.