Mahi Mahi with Green Gazpacho Sauce

I lived in Miami for the first 40 years of my life, before work and the rest of my life lured me to California. Mahi mahi was so plentiful you could buy a couple of pounds for about $7. Before we got all PC, it was called dolphin fish, or simply dolphin. Tourists were frequently indignant that we were eating dolphin the mammal; it seemed we were always explaining that "this isn't Flipper" to someone who meant well. Eventually, we stopped calling it dolphin and started calling it mahi mahi, which sounds so exotic that the price had to go up. Mahi in the Bay area is usually well over $12 a pound so I rarely buy it.

I spied this recipe as I was flipping through the September issue of Bon Appetit, and I resolved to buy mahi mahi without flipping out over the price. The recipe was ridiculously fast as the gazpacho is made in the food processor and the mahi mahi is pan sauteed. My gazpacho looks a little unappetizing because the recipe called for white balsamic vinegar (which I don't have) and I subbed regular balsamic. This was fresh tasting and delicious with cherry tomatoes from the garden. Their season is waning; soon the plants will realize with overnight lows in the low 50s and daily highs in the 60s and low 70s spell the end of their season in the sun.

This one was so good, but more importantly versatile, that it's going into the rotation. If you'd like to try it, you'll find the recipe here.