This is a bright, fresh recipe that smacks of lime flavor. You can use other white fish, but mahi mahi works best because it's very dense and holds together when pan-frying it and tossing it around. Flakier fish will fall apart and will not serve well.
- Zest and juice of 3-4 limes
- 1 whole pineapple
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup medium white rice (Thai jasmine is the best)
- 1.5 cups water
- 1.5 lb mahi mahi
- 1 cup whole cream
- High-temperature neutral oil (like avocado oil)
- Kosher salt
- Large skillet (cast iron, pref) for sauteeing
- Smaller skillet (also cast iron) for frying
- Medium saucepan for boiling rice
- Serrated knife for carving pineapple
- Tongs for flipping hot pineapple steaks
- Firm rubber spatula for sauteeing
- Basting brush
- Clean dishcloth
- Small whisk
- Separately collect zest and juice of limes
- Using a serrated knife, remove and discard the outer peel of the pineapple. Then slice large spears off for further processing.
- Slice about 10 quarter-inch thick "steaks" of pineapple for frying.
- Take two large spears and dice them into half-inch chunks.
- Take half of those chunks and crush them with a fork, retaining both the juice and the pulp. Between these three forms - steaks, cubed, and crushed - the entire pineapple should be used.
- Cut the mahi mahi into roughly 1.5 inch cubes.
This recipe is composed of multiple components. You should complete all prep work ahead of time and cook these components concurrently, except for the cream sauce, which must be cooked after the fish and in the same pan.
- Heat up a skillet for frying slightly above medium heat.
- When hot, pour in a small amount of oil, which should shimmer very quickly.
- Using tongs, place the pineapple steaks into the pan to fry. Baste the tops of the pineapple steaks with lime juice.
- Leave the pineapple in place long enough to begin to brown it and caramelize the sugars in it. Flip the pineapple and baste with more lime juice. Repeat this process a few times, until the pineapple is very well fried and brown, always basting the tops of the pineapple after each flip.
Alternatively, you can perform this exact same process over a grill for extra char flavor.
- Rinse the dry rice in cold water until much of the excess starch has been removed. Allow to dry a bit.
- Heat medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and halfway brown it.
- Add the rice, stir to coat it with the butter, and allow it to toast for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning.
- Add the water, some salt, and about 1 lime's worth of zest and juice. Raise heat to medium-high just until the water boils. Stir one last time, reduce heat to low, cover, and let sit undisturbed for precisely 16 minutes.
- Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Place a clean dishcloth over the saucepan, then replace the lid over the dishcloth.
- Preheat a large (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium heat. Add oil, which should quickly shimmer, then add pineapple chunks. Allow them to cook for a minute or two, stirring once or twice.
- Pour in about 1 lime's worth of juice, stir quickly, then add the fish.
- Sautee the lot of it for several minutes, stirring regularly, until the largest chunk of fish registers an internal temperature of 135F. Remove to a bowl to rest.
- Drop the crushed pineapple into the now-empty fish pan and allow it to cook for a moment, just long enough to spread the juice around and warm it up and mingle with the pan juices.
- Add the cream and stir with a whisk until it's warm and the cream absorbs the pineapple juice. Remove to a bowl.
- Place a scoop of the rice on a plate. The lime juice it was cooked with will make it tacky and cause it to hold together. Using a spoon, make an indentation in the rice pile, like with mashed potatoes.
- Spoon some of the sauteed fish and pineapple mixture into the indentation, creating a pile.
- Top with a few spoonfuls of the cream sauce.
- Serve fried pineapple steaks on the side.