Sweet & Savory

Mahi Teriyaki

Is diet and exercise a part of your new year's resolutions this year? Are you tempted to try a low-carb diet but are afraid to commit yourself to eating chicken breasts forever?! If you said "yes", have I got news for you! Low-carb dieting doesn't have to be about bland chicken breasts day in and day out!!

I've been there. Throughout college, I ate with poor regularity, and when I ate, I ate the wrong foods - pizza, junk food, mac 'n cheese. If only I'd increased my exercise levels with my consumption levels.. maybe I could have kept my lean high school figure (who am I really kidding?).

I exercised on and off and tried various diets for a couple years afterwards, but I really got serious about slimming down when I got J's permission to walk the aisle together with her. The diet that made the most difference turned out to be a low-carb (but not no-carb) diet. The pros were obvious - healthier weight and lifestyle, and better self-esteem. The cons.. well, there really was only one - the boring and bland chicken breasts that I had to eat in place of all the carbs I used to eat.

I began to experiment with different sources of protein and different ways to cook each one, in search of a dozen or so recipes that I could rotate and eat without getting bored or sick of them. One of my favorites ended up being this dish inspired by Asian flavors.

Mahi Teriyaki

Serves 4

• 4 6- to 8- ounce mahi mahi fillets, about 3/4-inch thick
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet sake)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 scallions, including green parts, finely chopped

Trim any strips of dark muscle off the mahi mahi fillets with a sharp paring knife. Combine the sake, mirin, and soy sauce in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over high heat until it barely begins to smoke. Slide in the mahi mahi while moving the pan gently back and forth so the fish doesn't have a chance to stick. Don't worry if the mahi mahi is producing a lot of smoke - keep the heat on high. After 2 minutes (if you like mahi mahi raw in the center), turn the fish over and sauté on the other side for 2 minutes. Add a minute more on each side if you want the fish cooked all the way through.

When the mahi mahi is lightly browned on each side, transfer it to a plate and pat off any excess oil with a paper towel.

Pour out the burned oil and wipe the still-hot pan with a paper towel.

Let the pan cool for about 2 minutes - so that the liquids won't spatter - and pour in the sake mixture. Boil the mixture down over high heat until it's reduced by about half. Slide the mahi mahi back into the pan over high heat and let it sit in the boiling glaze for about 30 seconds. Turn the fish over and repeat for 30 seconds on the second side.

Slice the mahi mahi into strips and arrange them on plates (Japanese pottery looks great). Brush or spoon the remaining glaze left in the pan over each strip of tuna. Sprinkle on the scallions.

Nutrition Facts (per 6- to 8- oz fillet)

270 calories
8 g fat (1 g saturated fat)
2 g carbohydrate (0 g fiber, 1 g sugar)
40 g protein