Species sheet · The Edible Ocean

Mahi-mahi

It arrives as if expected, and it was.

Grilled steaks with a sauce vierge
Tahitian style, raw in coconut milk
On skewers with a lemon marinade

Mahi-mahi in its natural habitat, Umay image — *Coryphaena hippurus* · Umay image, generated from a reference photograph

In French: Coryphène
Scientific name: Coryphaena hippurus
In the water: Warm open water in every ocean, surface to 85 metres, often under floating objects.
Season & buying: Summer and autumn in temperate seas, year-round in the tropics.
Common length: ~100 cm
How to identify it: Single dorsal fin starting above the eye
Compressed body tapering sharply to the tail
Electric yellow and blue that fade out of water

On the plate

White, firm, clean and lean flesh that holds up in a pan.

Avoid: Overcooking, which turns it cottony in seconds.

Its colours vanish within minutes of leaving the water. The blue and yellow drain to grey, so almost nobody ever sees a mahi-mahi as it really looks alive.