Time for another Wednesday recipe! This week it’s all about the Blackened Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa. If you couldn’t tell, I LOVE eating fruit with savory dishes, especially in the summer. Mango salsa, peach salsa, pineapple salsa, strawberry salsa…they’re all gravy in my book. I also love being able to heap a ton of fruit salsa on top of a protein to make it a complete meal. I served mine with a bed of cilantro lime brown rice. Perfection!
What is Blackened Fish?
Let’s talk about the blackened mahi mahi…you could cook the fish whatever way you like, but I really dig how much flavor you get out of the blackening spices. Fish that’s served “blackened” isn’t burnt like some people might think. The filet is coated with plenty of dark spices like chili powder, paprika, and cumin, then cooked in a pan with screaming hot oil. The high heat and fast cook really bind all of those spices to the surface of the fish and give it that signature black color. Of course, all those spices also work really well paired with the cool and refreshing mango salsa.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Blackened Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa:
- Mahi mahi – I love mahi for blackening because it’s firm and meaty, but still stays really succulent and tender when cooked quickly at high heat. You can blacken pretty much any kind of fish though, so go with what’s fresh and what you like.
- Oil – You want an oil with a high smoke point for this recipe since the skillet needs to get really hot. I recommend avocado or canola oil.
- Spices – The key to blackening! Read more about them in my comments above.
- Mango – While there’s really no substitute for mango in this recipe, I could totally see swapping it out with juicy, sweet peaches when they’re in season.
- Tomatoes – I prefer roma tomatoes since they have less water content.
- Red onion – Adjust the amount to your preferences, but definitely opt for a small dice to more evenly distribute the strong flavor of the red onion.
- Cilantro – Not an optional herb for this salsa IMO, but I know some of you out there think it tastes like soap. Do what you must (insert eye roll!).
- Jalapeño – You can skip this if you prefer or opt for a less spicy pepper.
- Lime juice – Hammer home that tropical flavor with lime juice, which really brings the salsa together.
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Meal Prep It?
Of course! This recipe doesn’t need any special treatment when meal prepping – just throw everything into a container like you see here. As with any meal prepped seafood, I recommend eating this within 3 days of cooking it, but definitely no more than 4 days.
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Blackened Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Blackened Mahi Mahi
- 1 lb mahi mahi fillets
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, (1/2 oz)
- 1 tsp each: chili powder, garlic powder, oregano
- 1/2 tsp each: smoked paprika, cumin, salt, pepper
Mango Salsa
- 1 cup mango, chopped, (170 grams)
- 1 roma tomato, diced, (148 grams)
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped, (40 grams)
- 1/2 small jalapeño, diced, (10 grams)
- 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine mango, tomato, onion, lime juice, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add salt and pepper, then mix and set aside.
- Gently pat mahi mahi dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
- Combine spices in a shallow bowl. Coat both sides of the mahi mahi fillets with the blackening spices.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat avocado oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add seasoned mahi mahi fillets and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until fish flakes apart easily with a fork.
- Serve mahi mahi with mango salsa over a bed of rice, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
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I updated the photos for this recipe in August 2025, but I wanted to include the old ones for fun!
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