whitefish
Mahi Mahi
Mahi-mahi is a fast-growing tropical fish with firm, large-flaked white flesh and very little fat. American menus adopted the Hawaiian name so diners would stop thinking they were eating dolphin — it is a fish, unrelated to the mammal. Lean means it dries fast: pull it at 130–135°F.
In one line
Not a dolphin. The name change was the entire point.
Buy it if
You want a firm white fish for the grill or for tacos, and you'll take it off the heat early.
The dolphinfish problem. Coryphaena hippurus was called dolphin or dolphinfish in English for centuries, and it has nothing to do with the mammal. As dolphins became something people cared about, the industry adopted the Hawaiian name mahi-mahi — "very strong" — and it stuck.
One of the fastest-growing fish in the ocean. Mahi put on tens of pounds in a year and rarely live past four or five. That is a genuine sustainability advantage: a short-lived, fast-reproducing fish recovers from fishing pressure in a way a fifty-year-old toothfish never can.
Lean, and it shows. There is very little fat in the fillet, so it firms up quickly and turns dry and chalky shortly after. Take it off the heat at 130–135°F, before the surface tells you to.
The skin is thick and leathery. Unlike salmon or bream, it will not crisp into anything you want to eat. Most fillets arrive skinned; if yours doesn't, take it off.
Where it comes from on the animal
| Species | whitefish |
|---|---|
| Subprimal | fillet and portion, skinned |
What else it’s called
How to cook Mahi Mahi
| Best methods | Grill Pan sear Oven roast Deep fry Broil |
|---|---|
| Skip | Poach |
| Cook to | 130–135°F. Lean and firm, so it goes chalky within a minute or two of done — and the firm texture won't warn you. |
If Mahi Mahi is sold out
Common questions
Is mahi-mahi a dolphin?
No. It is a fish, with no relation to the marine mammal. The older English name for it was dolphinfish, which is precisely why the Hawaiian name was adopted commercially — the confusion was costing sales.
What temperature is mahi-mahi done?
130–135°F. It is lean enough that the gap between moist and chalky is a minute or two, and the firm texture doesn't give you the visual warning a flaky fish does. Check the thickest part.
What else is mahi-mahi called?
Mahi, mahimahi and dorado are the same fish; dolphinfish is the older English name. Watch the spelling in Spanish — dorada, one letter away, is gilthead sea bream, an entirely different animal.
Is mahi-mahi good for fish tacos?
It is the standard choice, for a structural reason: the flakes are large and firm enough to survive being grilled and then broken up, where cod would disintegrate. Season it hard — lean fish takes spice well.
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