Mahi, Mac, and Me (so)

The Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 2 mahi-mahi filets weighing approximately 600 grams (or 21 oz)
• 350 cc (or 1½ cups of macadamia nuts, shelled and unsalted
• 60 cc (or 4 Tbsp) of miso
• 1 egg
• Olive oil

The Method:

1. Chop the macadamia nuts until the largest pieces are about 2 mm (¹⁄₁₀ in) diameter and begin to mass together.
2. Mix the chopped nuts, the egg, and the miso thoroughly to form a thick, gritty paste.
3. Rinse the mahi-mahi and pat dry with a paper towel.
4. Press the macadamia-miso paste onto the mahi-mahi so that it sticks.
5. Add enough olive oil to a skillet to cover the bottom, and heat it to medium on the stove top.
6. Place the coated mahi-mahi into the skillet, lower the heat to medium low, and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until a paring knife cut in the thickest part of the filet reveals opaque but still moist flesh.

The Story:

Trying to find a way to gussy up a mahi-mahi filet, I first tried to broil it with a miso topping (too salty and sticky) and then with a macadamia nut crust (too crumbly and somewhat bland). Then it occurred to me that the properties of these two coatings would complement each other--the saltiness of the miso ameliorated by the mild and sweet nuttiness of the macadamia nuts; its stickiness making a suitable matrix for spreading the chopped nuts evenly over the fish. And so it was. It only remained to adjust the amounts of each. And the resulting crust is scrumptiously better than the sum of its attributes.

Our local brand of miso, made in Honolulu