Tom Yum with Mahi Mahi fish

To honour my pixelly background, I thought my first post should be a recipe including the fish it represents: Mahi Mahi.
I admit I first bought Mahi Mahi purely because it was reduced in price and I'm a bit skint, but I was very pleasantly surprised with a meaty, tasty white fish. It's somewhere between Tuna steak, River Cobbler and Cod, and carries marinades well.
Here I am adding it to a Tom Yum soup, that can be made with or without Coconut milk depending on how calorie conscious you're feeling/ what sort of flavour you're after.

I cannot describe how yummy this dish is, especially for people like me and the boyf, who love Thai food flavours.

I think, technically, this soup would be called Tom Yum Nam Khon Pla, but I thought just Tom Yum would be easier to find...

Ingredients for the Soup:

Tom yum Paste - I prefer to get mine from a Chinese supermarket in Soho, it has more depth of flavour than the one in my supermarket and it's cheaper.

Galangal, dried - This is optional, but it has a very distinct flavour that I think really adds to the dish.
Grated fresh Ginger

Sambal Oelek Paste -this can be replaced with a fresh chilli or two if you prefer.
Fish Sauce
Soy Sauce

Coconut Milk

Garlic - if desired
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Sugar Snap Peas

Baby Sweetcorn (usually can be found ina joint packet with sugar snaps in supermarkets)
1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

Bunch of spring onions

Tenderstem Broccoli - Brilliant for soaking up all the lovely flavours, normal proccoli is fine too I just prefer tenderstem.
Coriander to garnish

Edamame Beans to garnish -Optional

Prawns, peeled and cooked - if you're making it a special meal, they aren't important!

Ingredients for the Mahi Mahi Marinade:

4 small Mahi Mahi Fillets, around 250 grams each chopped into 'bitesize' pieces

Half a Large Lemon (the juice)

Soy Sauce - 2 table spoons (I also like to add a table spoon of Ketjap Manis, a sweet soy sauce).

Teaspoon of Tom Yum Paste

2 teaspoons of Sambal Oelek Paste (or a chilli chopped finely)

Sesame oil - a tablespoon

Coriander Leaves, fresh, chopped small. around 3 tablespoons/to taste

Method (sounds like a school science report)

First things first, the marinade:

1) Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, stirring vigorously for a few moments.

2) 'Baste' the fillets with it, or pour it over the fish and rub it in with your hands, if you don't have a basting brush.

3) Chill in the fridge in an airtight container for as long as possible, at least half an hour before you cook.

4) Just before you start the soup, heat up your oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted).

The Soup:

1) Chop the spring onions into 4 (ish), the baby sweetcorns in half and the peppers, into strips is best I think but however you want is fine.

2)Crush 2 garlic cloves if desired, and a chopped chilli if you're not using Sambal Oelek.

3) Fry off these ingredients in Sesame oil,(or any other oil you have as long as it isn't a strongly flavoured Olive Oil) in a pan with a lid. Turn down the heat and put the lid on.

4) Wrap your fish pieces in a piece of tinfoil, on a baking tray, and put in the oven.

5) Chop your broccoli (I just use the heads and chop off the stalks) and get your sugar snaps washed if possible and ready.

6)Add the Tom Yum paste to the Pan with the veg, whatever amount it says on the paste you have, I always add a bit more! Then add the Coconut Milk straight away.

7) Add a bit of water if your coconut milk is very thick, and turn the heat up to get the soup to a simmer.

8)Add a splash of soy sauce, a teaspoon of fish sauce, an inch of fresh grated ginger, 1 - 3 lime leaves to taste, and Sambal Oelek to taste, if you haven't already added a chilli (or if you have, it's your dinner!)

9) Chop up dried Galangal into tiny pieces, and add along with the Broccoli and Sugar Snap Peas.

10) Simmer until the Fish is cooked through. This should be around 20 minutes after you have put the Mahi Mahi in the Oven.

11) Take the fish from the oven, and unwrap. There will be lots of juices so be careful.

12) If you're adding Prawns/Shrimp to the soup do it now, they're already cooked and it will preserve the nice pink colour. Same with the Edamame Beans.

13)Dish up the soup into bowls, add the fish, then add chopped/torn Coriander to garnish.

14) Serve with Oriental Crackers, and Oriental salad if desired! (Recipie for Oriental salad to follow, but you can buy it in shops. I also think Ginger Beer compliments this dish very well. :)

And there it is!

The ingredients seem numerous the first time you buy them, but now Soy, Sesame oil, fish sauce and Sambal Oelek are frequent visitors in my fridge!

Usually there is enough Tom Yum paste for 2 seperate dinners as well, so you can make something different with it later in the week, such as my Sesame Beef Tom Yum with Glass Noodles,which I will post here soon.

The Coconut milk is an addition, you do not need it, but it gives it a lovely creaminess that carries the fish, and the Galangal/Ginger very well.

I believe cooking is all about personal taste. I never write a recipe off just because there are one or two things I don't have or don't like - I just improvise. I think cooking should be personal and creative, but I hope you enjoy my creation all the same!

Happy Eating!