How To Cook Dorado (Mahi Mahi)

Mahi mahi is a fast-growing and tasty fish.

If you’re fortunate to catch one of these fish, you’re in for a treat. Behind the vibrant skin lies delicious meat that’s good both raw or cooked. Just make sure you bleed it thoroughly before you fillet it.

How to Catch Dorado Fish — If you use any of the setups below you are almost guaranteed to catch more fish! Source: Kim

In this guide, we’ll go over the ins and outs of cleaning and cooking dorado.

Table of Contents

How to Clean Dorado

Cleaning dorado seems intimidating because of the unique shape of the fish.

However, it’s the same as any other fish. When you bring the fish on the boat, do the fish a favor and brain spike it. Next, it’s important to cut the gills and let the fish bleed out (you don’t want blood-tasting meat). Now cut from the anus towards the gills to expose the innards and pull them out with your hands.

Throw the guts and gills into the ocean so those goodies can get recycled by other sea creatures.

If you’re on the boat, then it’s important to get the fish into an ice slurry to cool the flesh down.

When you get back to the dock or your home, it’s time to fillet the mahi for storage or to be eaten that day.

Step-by-Step Guide to Filleting the Dorado Fish

Use your fillet knife to cut behind the gill plate towards the head.
Follow the head up, then reverse and go down the back following the backbone all the way to the tail.
Reverse and cut deeper back towards the head.
Keep slicing along the backbone. You should hear a ratchet sound as your knife rubs against the bones.
Take your fillet knife and cut right down the center of the side of the dorado where the bloodline starts all the way to the tail.
Remove the first chunk of dorado coryphaena hippurus and lay it skin-side down on the cutting board.
Remove the bottom loin from the rest of the fish.
Flip the mahi over and do the same to the other side.
Use your knife to remove the skin from the meat by holding the skin and sliding your knife from tip to tip.
Cut out the dark red bloodline zones of the fish meat. If you leave it in, the fish will have the fishy flavor left behind.
Now you’re ready to cut them into pieces, marinate them, and cook them however you like.

Best Dorado Recipe

If you’re looking for a tasty dorado (coryphaena hippurus) recipe then you’re in luck. Making a great-tasting mahi mahi dish doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here’s our recipe for garlic mahi mahi:

Ingredients

3 tbsp. Grass-fed butter. Cut them into chunks
1 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
4 4-oz. mahi mahi fillets
Pinch of garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter you cut into pieces and olive oil. Stir them until they are mixed.
On a cutting board, season the mahi mahi using salt and pepper. Cook until golden, which should be about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
In the empty skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. I hope you can see that we like butter at Cast & Spear. Once melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then stir in lemon zest and juice, and parsley. Return mahi mahi fillets to skillet and spoon over the sauce.
Garnish with more parsley and serve.

Jon Stenstrom

Founder & Angler

Jon Stenstrom is a fishing enthusiast. He has over 25 years of fishing experience, and 6 years of spearfishing experience, and is currently learning how to boat. Jon has his Open Water PADI Certification and FII Freediver Level 1 Certification. Jon has traveled the world to fish and dive, most notably in the Great Barrier Reef, Baja Mexico, Thailand, and Malaysia. More Articles