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Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lime Butter is the perfect summer dish! It’s brightly flavored, tender, and flaky. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make whether you’re familiar with cooking fish or are just getting into it.
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Mahi Mahi is a fish I often recommend to those newer to cooking with fish because it’s incredibly approachable. It’s mild in flavor, offers up a great texture, and it can pair with just about any spices or sauces you want. My grilled mahi mahi tacos are a great example of that. And if grilling fish intimidates you, don’t fret! I’ve got a handy tutorial on how to grill fish.
If you’re looking for more mild options that make for a great introduction to cooking and eating fish, this crispy baked Alaska pollock is perfect, as is this super flavorful miso salmon.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients — Despite how flavorful this Mahi Mahi is, it calls for just a few pantry staple spices!
- Easy to make — Not much prep here, even with the lime butter which just has you mixing lime juice and zest into room temperature butter.
Ingredients for Grilled Mahi Mahi
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- Seasoning — I use a blend of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and cayenne. If you don’t want any heat, you can omit the cayenne.
- Lime butter — The lime butter I make to serve with this grilled Mahi Mahi is, of course, optional. But I highly recommend whipping some up. The way it melts onto the fillet post-grill and brings the brightness of lime to the fish is absolutely chef kiss worthy.
How to Make Grilled Mahi Mahi
Step 1. Make the lime butter by popping room temperature butter into a small bowl and adding the lime zest and juice, then mixing it until well blended and smooth; set it aside. In another small bowl, mix the spices together.
Step 2. Transfer the Mahi Mahi fillets to a mixing bowl, drizzle them with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle them with the seasoning. Gently toss the fillets with your bare hands to evenly coat them.
Step 3. Heat a clean grill to medium-high heat (around 400-450º F). Grease it up well (see recipe notes below). Place the fillets on the grill (skin-side down if your fillets have skin) diagonal to the grate slats. Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the grill. Let the fish cook without disturbing it or moving it until the skin is golden brown and crisp—about 2 to 4 minutes per side.
Step 4. When the fish is cooked, remove the fillets from the grill and allow them to rest for a few minutes. Slather the lime butter over the fillets and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Make sure the grill grates are extremely clean, well-oiled (to the point of being slick), and hot before placing the fillets onto them.
- Never force your fish fillets to move once they hit the hot grill, or they will tear. Always let them cook for a few minutes. Once they release from the grill easily, only then are they ready to be flipped over.
- Don’t use tongs to flip fillets of fish on the grill. Your best option is a fish turner. These are long enough to scoop up and properly support a full fillet.
- Make your lime butter a few hours or even a whole day in advance to maximize flavor.
What to Serve With Grilled Mahi Mahi
This recipe goes great with a side of easy grilled asparagus which you can conveniently grill right next to the fish. More veg options could be hot honey roasted carrots or air fryer sweet potato wedges. My Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a fantastic pairing as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mahi Mahi is mild in flavor with a subtle sweetness to it no matter how you cook it, but grilling it naturally adds a bit of a smoky essence to it. It’s delicious and a great fish for beginners!
If overcooked, Mahi Mahi will become tough and dry just like any other fish. You want to be sure to hit an internal temperature of about 140-145º F and avoid going higher than that. You can easily keep an eye on internal temps with a meat thermometer.
Yes! Grilled Mahi Mahi is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, it’s a lean protein, and it contains vitamins and minerals. It’s also low in calories.
More Delicious Fish Recipes…
Fish and Seafood
Crispy Baked Alaska Pollock Recipe
Fish and Seafood
Grilled Salmon With Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
If you try this Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi, or any other recipe here at Killing Thyme, please pop back in and leave a 🌟 star rating! And let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi with Lime Butter
Ingredients
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi.
- 2 6 oz Mahi Mahi fillets
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
Lime Butter.
- 2 TBSP butter at room temperature
- Zest and juice of one lime
Instructions
Lime Butter.
- Place the room temperature butter in a small bowl. Add the lime zest and juice, and mix it with a fork until well blended; set aside.
Chili-Seasoned Grilled Mahi Mahi.
- Take the fillets out of the fridge, pat them dry, and bring them to room temp. (This helps you get a more even cook on the fillet.)
- In a small bowl, mix the spices together from the chili powder to the salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Place the fillets in a bowl, drizzle the olive oil over each fillet, and sprinkle the seasoning blend over the fillets. With your bare hands, gently toss the fillets in the oil and seasoning to coat; set aside.
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat (somewhere around 400-450º F). Once the grates are heated, lightly dip a bunched up paper towel in oil. Holding the paper towel with tongs, drag it across the hot grates to create a slick surface. Continue to wipe the grates with the oiled paper towels, re-dipping the towels in oil between applications, until the grates are black and glossy. Depending on your grate, this could take between 5-10 swipes. Building a coating on the grates will prevent your fish fillets from sticking.
- Place the fillets on the grill (skin-side down if your fillets have skin) diagonal to the grate slats. Reduce the heat to medium, and cover the grill. Let the fish cook without disturbing it or moving it until the skin is golden brown and crisp—about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Try gently sliding a spatula beneath the fish. If it doesn’t easily release itself from off the grill, don’t force it. Let it continue to cook, checking it every 30 seconds, until it releases. At that point, carefully flip the fillet. (If you don’t have a proper wide fish spatula, you may want to use two spatulas for flipping.)
- Cover the grill and let the fillets cook until the centers of the fillets are opaque and register 140º F on an instant-read thermometer. (This can take between 3 to 7 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet. The ideal internal temperature for fish is 145º F, but protein will continue to cook once removed from the heat, so I like to take it off a little early to ensure I have flaky and tender perfection.
- When ready, remove the fillets from the grill and allow them to rest for a few minutes.
- Slather lime butter over the fillets to melt and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the grill grates are extremely clean, well-oiled (to the point of being slick), and hot before placing the fillets onto them.
- Never force your fish fillets to move once they hit the hot grill, or they will tear. Always let them cook for a few minutes. Once they release from the grill easily, only then are they ready to be flipped over.
- Don’t use tongs to flip fillets of fish on the grill. Your best option is a fish turner. These are long enough to scoop up and properly support a full fillet.
- Make your lime butter a few hours or even a whole day in advance to maximize flavor.
Absolutely delicious, and easy to make!
This chili seasoned mahi mahi was marvelous especially with the addition of the lime butter. It’s a perfect summertime recipe.
The seasoning on this was perfect. So light and fresh.
I’m always looking for ways to spice up my fish recipes..(see what I did there!) This is delicious with just the right amount of heat!
This was out of this world! Wow, the lime butter was so good! We are going to make this to put on all of our grilling!! So good! Gonna use on chicken tonight!!