Mahi Mahi with Red Pepper Sauce & Summer Squash

I made this for my father, just the other night. He practically licked the plate clean.


Mahi Mahi with Roasted Pepper Sauce and Summer Squash


Mahi Mahi

4 Mahi Mahi fillets
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 tbsp light olive oil
½ tsp salt


Roasted Pepper Sauce

3 large red or yellow bell peppers
1 tsp olive oil
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 fresh large basil leaves or ½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup cream
salt to taste
sesame seeds for garnishing

Summer Squash

4 small zucchini
4 small yellow summer squash or crookneck squash
1 red or yellow bell pepper
3 tsp light olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 fresh basil leaves (optional)


Directions:


Roasted Pepper Sauce

Roast peppers over open flame, on the grill, or in the broiler. Keep turning them until the surface is charred and mostly black. Immediately seal in tupperware or ziplock bag for ten to twenty minutes. Submerge them in cold water and rub the skins off with your hands. A lot of blackened spots will remain. Cut open peppers and remove seeds. Coarsely chop the peppers.

In medium saucepan over high heat, combine oil, roasted peppers, onion, garlic, basil, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper; cook 3 minutes.

Add broth to the pepper mixture and heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour mixture into a blender jar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Blend until smooth. Add cream to blender and blend for a few seconds to mix.

Salt to taste.

If made ahead, keep the sauce warm, but do not allow it to boil.


Summer Squash

Cut zucchini and summer squash into 2 inch long pieces. Slice each segment, lengthwise, into 8 to 10 strips.

Seed the bell pepper and cut lengthwise into 2 inch strips.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When oil is very hot, add half of the squash to skillet. The squash should not be crowded in the pan or it will steam. At most, you should be able to see equal amounts of squash and skillet bottom.

Stir often, but allow the squash to brown in spots. Repeat with 2nd half of the squash, then with the bell pepper. Combine vegetables and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve squash on small salad plates or bowls, garnished with finely slivered basil leaf (if you only have dry basil, then just skip it).



Mahi Mahi

Spread sesame seeds and half of the salt onto a plate. Lay filets in the seeds, coating one side only

Heat a nonstick skillet using high heat. Add olive oil and swirl. When oil begins to smoke, add the coated filets, sesame seeds down. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.

Pour ½ cup of sauce into rimmed plates or shallow flat bowls. Carefully, lay a filet onto the center of each plate, sesame seeds up. Sprinkle sauce and filets with additional sesame seeds.