Seared Mahimahi with Edamame Succotash

I first tried mahimahi when I was maybe 10 years old at a now long-gone seafood restaurant on Sanibel Island, Florida, while on vacation with my family.

My mom's aunt and uncle had time-shares on two condos and my grandparents vacationed there with them two weeks every October. This time, my grandparents invited us all along. It was only the second time I’d ever been to the beach.

Every night we'd go out to dinner around 4:30, you know, so we could get a good deal on the early-bird specials. (My grandparents and great aunt and uncle were not only old, they were frugal.) I’m pretty sure the only fish I had ever eaten up to this point were fish sticks, but I bravely tried a different kind seafood every night.

For some reason or another I got it into my head that I’d try the mahimahi from the list of specials. It wasn't until I ordered it that I thought to ask what it was.

"It's dolphin," my mom tells me.

"So I'm eating Flipper?" I asked.

No one corrected me or explained to me it’s a dolphin fish — not the kind of dolphin I was thinking of. Even if they tried to tell me, I probably wouldn’t have listened. I was convinced I was eating Flipper's cousin. I hardly took a bite.

I must have been scarred by that event because I haven't eaten it since then — until now. A few weeks ago I took the leap and made Seared Mahimahi with Edamame Succotash. And it wasn’t bad.

In my opinion mahimahi is a fishy-tasting fish, which might just be a little too much for me, personally. But the succotash that went on top was pretty good. I think next time I’ll use it with some other type of fish. Maybe a roasted salmon or a pan-seared tilapia.

Might also be good to grill the fish and use fresh summer corn rather than frozen. Maybe I’ll try that, too, if it ever warms up and the skunky clothes are off my balcony.