This is one of my family's favorite fish recipes for southern cooking. Serve over rice. Steamed vegetables go great with this dish.

Accidental Fish

(4 ounce)

olive oil

salted butter

garlic,

lemon juice

Louisiana-style hot sauce,

roma tomato, seeded and chopped

green onion, chopped

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).


Rub the mahi mahi fillets with the olive oil and lay into a baking dish.


Bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.


While the mahi mahi bakes, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.


Stir the garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce into the melted butter; simmer together for 1 minute. Add the tomato and green onion to the butter mixture; cook and stir until hot. Spoon over the baked fish to serve.


This fish was excellent!  I did make a few changes though.  I put a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on the fish and salt and pepper before baking it.  I turned the broiler on for about 2 minutes after the 20 minutes was up.  I used half the butter and did not add tomato to the sauce.  Instead, I added extra lemon juice and fresh parsley.  This recipe is certainly a keeper!!!

Awesome! I had cod on hand but made per recipe.  Wow was it great. Fixed over steamed veggies. I have to admit it didn't sound so great with just a few ingredients but I was totally wrong. I did add a little more hot sauce and black pepper the second helping. Very easy to make. Like the commercial, I ate the whole thing myself. Keeper for sure. Thanks, Becca for sharing.

This is certainly a wonderful dish, easy to prepare, little cleanup, and not overly filling.  Rice as a side dish and a green salad or coleslaw add just enough to complete the meal.  I purchase my mahi-mahi frozen at Costco.  Thanks for sharing this recipe.

I doubled this recipe to feed a larger group. The next time I make it, I will half the butter. There is way more sauce than is needed and it was too buttery/greasy. Reducing the butter would solve both issues. I set the fish on a bed of seasoned rice (I make my own seasoning) and this did wonders to soak up the sauce. We did sprinkle some lemon pepper on the fish after trying it as is and found this gave it JUST the zing we were looking for. This would be a great sauce for shrimp! Especially grilled.

Excellent recipe - thanks so much! I used halibut and it turned out great.

What a delightful sauce!  I used cod because that's what I had in the freezer, and sprinkled with lemon pepper before baking.  I didn't have green onions on hand, so sauteed minced sweet onions on low while the butter was melting.  The Louisiana hot sauce added a wonderful zing!  Thanks so much for this recipe!

Delicious! You can use any good white fish. I usually use halibut since my husband goes spear fishing a lot. You can also grill the fish and add some shrimp skewers and serve it on top of a bed of rice then pour the "Accidental" sauce over it. I know a lot of people complain about how much butter is in the sauce but you don't have to use it all- this is just how Bubba Gump's fish co. makes it.

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL &amp; EASY!!!  I AM A TERRIBLE FISH COOKER SO I LOVE ALLRECIPES WHICH ALLOWS ME TO SUCCEED WITH FISH COOKERY &amp; EVERYONE ALWAYS LOVES IT.  I ALSO USED COD FOR LACK OF MAHI HERE.  THANKS, BECCA!

Excellent and easy to make. I used yellowtail and doubled the amounts of garlic and hot sauce.  This is a keeper.

My BF made this - only using swordfish. (couldn't find Mahi Mahi) - it was delicious :)

Best fish dish I've ever made! Thank you for sharing! :)

Very easy recipe! Added more of the hot sauce (2 drops! Not enough!) Mahi mahi not to hard to find.....could work with most fish fillets

This is very simple to prepare, and is delicious!  Definitely a keeper :)

I wasn't thrilled with this one.   It was fair.  I think adding a little vermouth might help improve the depth of the flavor.  Fish was rather bland.  I wonder if frying it instead of baking it would help.

I really liked this dish.   The mahi mahi was reasonably priced and I got a nice filet.   I simmer the butter, garlic, tomato and instead of green onion I used fresh parsley and fresh thyme.  I skipped the hot sauce but just because of the fresh herbs.  I didn't add lemon juice to this sauce but gave everyone a fresh lemon wedge when I served it.

I was worried about using 450F so I did 400 and just baked it longer.

Made an asparagus au gratin for the side.

What a great sauce base. I did things a little different like others.  I grilled salmon rubbed with EVOO and lemon pepper.  Sliced and grilled the romas, a thick sliced white onion and some baby portabellas, they got chopped fine and added to the sauce. (Lots of Frank’s)
I served it all up on a bed of spinach sautéed with olive oil, fresh garlic and sliced almonds, and a grill-baked sweet potato.
I cut the butter in half.  (Did I mention I love my grill?)
Thanks for posting!

I made this using tilapia.  After rubbing on the olive oil, I seasoned the fish with salt and pepper.  I lowered the oven temp to 400 and mine were perfectly done in 20 minutes.   For the sauce, I cut the butter in half, and instead of lemon juice, I put in a splash of dry white wine.  I added the tomatoes and doubled the green onion.   This was great served over jasmine rice, and made for a delicious and super easy dinner.

used on Tilapia and it was AWESOME. Cut the butter in half and helped not be as greasy since the fish steaks were thinner. Added a little Cayenne to kick it up a notch too.

I've tried many great recipes from this site in the last three years, but this is the first that made me want to do a review for. Awesome! I don't think you'll want to leave out the tomatoes, I may half the butter next time, add some lemon pepper and give it a couple more drops of hot sauce.

Thank God I found this recipe!  This is the EXACT same recipe as what is served at Bubba Gumps and they will always make Accidental Fish if you request it (if you are nice).  Just so nice to know that I can make this at home and it was a HUGE success!  I had to make this for four, so I doubled everything.  In the end, I added some grated Paremesian and a little parsely (because I overshot the amount of squeezed lemon Juice) and added a little pepper and sea salt. Tasted GREAT and I'm sure is now a new favorite!

We loved this recipe.  I had to cut way down on the butter.  I am going to try it with chicken next.

Halve the butte, otherwise followed directions. Could be used with any fish or shrimp

It was good but the next time i think I will cut the lemon juice it half because it was very acidic/ "lemony".

Simple and delicious!  I used Barramundi which is a sustainable replacement for sea bass and other mild white fish.  For 2 portions I used 2 T each of butter and Brummel &amp; Brown lower fat butter.  I microwaved the sauce because it was so hot in the kitchen.  My fish cooked in 10 minutes because it was a thinner filet.  I kept the other ingredients the same for the sauce and it was wonderful.
This will be a go-to staple in our kitchen!

This was so yummy.  I will tweak it a little to personal tastes next time but very good.  (Next time, more tomato and more onion.)  Tried this with Tilapia as the store was out of Mahi Mahi.  I paired this with some brown rice and some grilled asparagus.  VERY YUMMY!  The hint of lemon really hit the spot.

This dish was soooooo good!  My husband gave it a thumbs up and said it was a definite keeper.  I used Cod because Mahi Mahi is hard to find in my area.  Beside the type of fish, the only change I made was to add more hot sauce (about 1 1/2 teaspoons).  Served it with Roasted Chicken Couscous and a broccoli/red pepper/onion vegetable medley.  Delicious!

outstanding everybody loved it and I was out of green onion great with out them probably better with.

I used Tilapia...It was delicious! Approximately 10 minutes and then another 5 minutes with the sauce poured onto them. I used very thick tilapia and used the whole 20 minutes May, 2014. Still excellent!

This recipe is delicious as is!  If you like sauce on your rice, DO NOT half the butter.  The original amount provided the perfect amount of sauce.  The chives and lemon are what make the sauce, so if you don't have fresh chives, it won't be as great.

Really good. The title is a bit odd. As usual I substitute lime for lemon juice. When serving sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

We loved this!  I didn't have green onions, so I used a red onion.  I'm sure it would have looked prettier with some green, but it tasted delicious.  I used half the butter as someone else suggested, and it was still a ton of butter, so use no more than 1/4 cup butter.  I also added an extra tablespoon of lemon juice, because I love lemon, and it was great.  While it was delicious, I did not notice the spiciness, so probably would have been good to add extra hot sauce.  We are trying to eat healthier, so we had baked sweet potatoes and a green salad on the side instead of having this with white rice.  It was a delicious combo.

This was fantastic.  I used tilapia.  My husband said it was the BEST!!

I used cod as that is what I had. I doubled the recipe, based on the other reviews I cut down the butter. I liked the recipe and my husband loved it! We will make it again - however I think I would increase the hot sauce as we really didn't taste it and decrease the lemon juice. I make it with brown rice and fixed sugar snap peas with it. Yummy dinner!

I have made this twice.  The first time using a whole stick of regular butter and Mahi-Mahil.  The second time with 6tbs. of light butter and tilapia.  It was a huge hit both times! I'll probably stick with the light butter in the future to cut calories.  I make dirty rice and put the fish over it and then pour the sauce over the whole thing - the rice absorbs a lot of the sauce so it is not greasy and the flavor is great!!

This was awesome. I switched it up a little, though. I used 2 Roma tomatoes, and lime instead of lemon. Also, there seems to be a mahi mahi shortage right now, so I used tilapia instead. It worked out GREAT.

It was a decent fish dish. As we try to incorporate fish into our weekly meals I'm looking for tasty, quick and easy. This was quick and easy, but it's missing something. Still a decent dish and one that I will most likely make again. I cut the butter in half and topped it with fresh basil. The tomatoes were delicious and I would recommend not skipping them.

I've made this several times now with mahi-mahi and cod -- it's a terrific weeknight dinner because it comes together so quickly. I use half butter/half EVOO and double the tomatoes and green onions. Tonight I'm trying it with one garlic clove and substituting ramps (wild leeks, which grow in our woods) for the green onions. You could probably use a dry white wine instead of the lemon juice. The sauce would be good over pasta without the fish!

This recipe was absolutely delicious.  I added some cut black olives, and red pepper sliced then, and honestly my husband who doesn't care for fish even ate it!  It's a must try recipe for sure.

I have made this twice and my whole family LOVES it! My husband said it tasted like a restaurant meal! It does have a lot of butter, the second time I cut it down a bit, but super yummy!

This is okay.  I used cod and cut back on the butter by adding EVOO.  The sauce still turned out too buttery.  Also added more hot sauce because two drops isn't enough.  Not my cup of tea.

Possible answer to why this is called "Accidental Fish."  A long time ago at a restaurant in Washington, DC, Mahi Mahi was on the menu and was also referred to as "Poor Man's Lobster" and it was served with drawn butter just like lobster tail.  If you don't like the fat content, just reduce the amount of butter. Great recipe -- thanks Becca.

Prepared as written &amp; was surprised at how much we liked it. Just a light (in taste), pleasantly flavored fish dish. I served this over leftover cooked penne pasta &amp; next time half of the butter will suffice. However, if serving over rice definitely use all the butter.

My daughter does not eat white fish; BUT she loved this recipe

This was ok but rather on the bland side.

I usually approach fish in a minimalist way so that the taste of the fish is not smothered, but this is a wonderful recipe that compliments the mahi-mahi beautifully.

Very good, but then it's hard to go wrong with a lemon garlic butter sauce on fish. :)  I would have liked more hot sauce, I think (my philosophy is, if you're going to add it, what's the point of just adding 2 drops!) Also, I didn't think that much butter was necessary; I used half and it was plenty. Very tasty recipe!

I made this with pacific cod.  Instead of a Roma tomato and hot sauce I used half a can of Rotel.  It was delish and easy to make.  I served it with wild rice.

this was the 1st time i tried this fish and its really good. very hearty and filling. the sauce was very buttery though. i used real butter and will try a different type next time.

Simple and delicious- though I used 1/3 of the butter and felt that was a bit much... all personal preference.

This recipe was delicious!  Served it over rice and the butter was perfect!  Will make again!

Excellent!  I also used half of the butter and more hot sauce than recommended but really really good!

I found this recipe bland and left the fish (mahi) tasting fishy.  I did not use much hot sauce.  Perhaps that would have improved it.  I will not be making this again.  The butter did taste good over the rice, but that's about it.

pretty tasty for a fish recipe, too many calories, treat only

I love this recipe. Have made it many times with differing white fish. Just made it for lunch with halibut. I thought the 450 sounded high but it has never burned filets cooking for twenty minutes. I made recipe per instructions but had some red and yellow peppers and chopped them up and threw into sauce. This is such an easy recipe but also so yummy! Don't skimp on the hot sauce, it adds a lot of depth.

This recipe was less than par. I would suggest adding less butter and attempt to add more garlic and spices to add some more flavor.

Absolutely the best fish recipe we have ever made. Probably made it 25 times. The only minor improvement we made a while back is the addition of 1/4 cup of white wine to the sauce mixture and we simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken it a little.

My family LOVED this.  My only recommendation would be to only use half of the butter the recipe calls for.

Truly excellent!  Easy quick prep.Used Pike filets from Mich. fresh  lake water.Used extra Roma and green onion- did not increase butter. Tilapia and Swea filets would be great. An inexpensive, attractive and delicious recipe.

Awesome!!!! I am a wimp for spicy food, so I served myself before adding additional hot sauce... But I LOOOOVED it and so did my husband

This was delicious!!! I used 3 tilapia fillets, rubbed with olive oil, salt and peppered both sides. Squeezed 1/4 lemon over fish before baking as i didn't have any lemon pepper seasoning. Used all the butter the recipe calls for and thought it was perfect to pour on top of fish served on a bed of white rice. Didn't have the roma, squeezed 1/2 lemon in butter and an extra dash of Louisi hot sauce. squeezed remaining lemon over fish before adding lemon butter sauce. DE-LISH!!! I will be cooking fish more often.

Make this regularly worth trying with other fish..

I used half the butter and used yellow onion as I did not have a green onion.  After reading other reviews, I also put just a touch of creole seasoning on the mahi mahi prior to placing in the oven.  Everything else was as written in the recipe.  We loved it, even my husband who is not a fan of fish!  Thanks so much!!!

Ridiculously good and easy.  I did rub salt on the fish and I added capers to the sauce because my family's addicted to capers.  I used halibut.  Perfect!

Worked great.Instead of Mahi Mahi,I used fresh large sardines.Dreged them in flour then fried them over med heat in a mixture of canola oil and butter.

This recipe was great. So tasty! the lemon works well with the tomatoes and the mahi mahi was a delicious fish.  The hot sauce added just a small kick of heat. Baked the fish at a lower temp and longer time just because the oil seemed to start burning at the beginning.  also, seasoned the fish with salt, pepper and some chili powder before baking.

We followed the recipe exactly as written.  Preparing Mahi-Mahi was a first for us.  Being from the Midwest, our fish recipes lean towards, walleye, perch, frozen haddock, cod and salmon and have to admit, this Mahi-Mahi recipe was right up there with the rest.  We loved it and so easy to prepare.

The sauce is great!! I used a bit of minced onion as suggested in another review, and added a bit more hot sauce ... otherwise made as written. Delicious.

I saved about a tablespoon of the leftover sauce with my trusty spatula job because I couldn't bear to part with it. PS: put it over red snapper. Thanks!!

bought mahi mahi for the first time and needed to know how to cook it.  this recipe turned out great!  used 1/4 cup butter, 1 tsp hot sauce and no tomato for almost a pound filet.  baked exactly as stated.  it was totally yummy!  I am now a big fan of mahi mahi.  thanks!

Very good recipe. I made a few changes to suite my taste. I have made this with mahi and grouper, both great but really any good white fish will work. I tend to like more spice so I used this recipe using more tomato and a lot of extra Louisiana hot sauce and garlic. I have also used a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies along with fresh diced Roma tomatoes still adding Louisiana hot sauce. I tend to smother the fish in the sauce as the extra sauce falls off into the rice for additional flavor. This is an amazing dish served over a box or 5 depending on meal size, of Rice a Roni long grain wild rice mix with steamed vegetables as a side dish, yum!!!  FYI I have made a lot of fish dishes using many different variations, using the long grain wild rice seems to have the perfect consistency for this dish.

Wow, this was excellent and so easy to make!  I made no alterations; perfect as it is!

My husband hates everything, he said he'd gladly eat this again, and very easy to prepare. Thank you for the recipe!

The was excellent and despite the butter, light.  We couldn't find mahi mahi so we substitued halibut.

Made as directed, with the only changes being 1/4 cup butter instead of 1/2 cup, and used ocean perch because my local grocery store doesn't carry mahi mahi and the ocean perch was fresh that day. :) This is a fantastic recipe!!! Definitely use the tomatoes, and don't let them nor the green onions cook too much when you heat the sauce. Served it over Jenni's Italian farro pilaf from this site, and it was not only a complete meal, but a five star one! Thanks so much for posting! Easy and delicious!!!

This was pretty good for a light summer dish. I would eat a nice salad on the side. I used some instead of mahi mahi and magarine in place of butter. Skipped the tomatoes.

Made as written with mahi mahi. So simple, but it really is a lovely way to prepare this fish. The fish really shines through, so make sure you use the freshest and best fish!

it was bland.  made my family think of chicken wings.

Really great flavors. After reading several reviews, I used 1/2 of the butter but used all other ingredients.  Very tasty indeed.

Found some frozen Ahi Ahi fillets in my freezer that I grabbed from Aldi’s awhile ago. Never made it before so I was looking for an easy recipe. This was so easy and delicious!!!

This  is  a great recipe... So good and quick and easy.   The only thing I changed was the pepper sauce... I used the Cholula Chipotle sauce  for the smoky pepper flavor.  I also only baked for 15 min. and it was perfect...  White, moist and fell apart with the touch of a  fork.. Thank you Becca!

This is a great Mahi Mahi recipe!  After reading the reviews, we cut the butter in half and I'm glad we did.  We didn't have green onion but used a small amount of yellow onion instead.  I added this to my recipe box and can't wait to make it again.  Thanks for sharing!

Really good!  I added a can of diced tomatoes verses a Roma since I like more tomato. My 3 year old eats this.

I thought this would have more flavor based on some of the reviews. I even doubled the garlic. My husband and son liked it but I was disappointed in what I felt was a lack of flavor. I will need to figure out something to add to it.

Excellent! The instructions on my frozen fish, baked at 450degF, said to check at 12 min and bake up to 18 min (which I did). The sauce was delish (I added extra hot sauce), and I could see this working well with other fish, as well. I did omit the tomato, but I'm sure it would work fine here. Thanks for this very good and easy recipe!

This recipe sat in my box for months because while it seemed easy enough to make, I couldn't imagine it being very good. I'm so glad I finally tried it -- it's not good, it's amazing! Like other reviewers, I only use about half the butter, but if you can eat tomatoes, don't skip that ingerdient. I've tried this recipe with halibut, cod, and grouper -- all with great results.

My husband absolutely loved this! I added some Pimentoes, Cinnamon, and fresh basil to the sauce and a tiny bit of cayanne directly on the fish to take this recipe where I wanted for the evening, but it was Incredible.  "The yummiest fish I have eaten in my entire life."- A very Happy Hubby   Works great with any sort of rice.  We ate it with a brown and Black rice mix and poured the sauce right on the rice.   Much yumminess!!

I'm trying to find new recipes for my picky eater who has developed some health issues that require us to severely limit carbs.  He raved over this!  It's a definite keeper!  The two drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce were just the touch for a unique and tasty touch!

Very good and easy to make recipe. Original calls for way too much butter, 2 T was enough to make a sauce for us. I also used Penzey's California pepper to season the fish before baking about 20 minutes at 425 and it turned out well. I recommend lining dish with foil for easy cleanup. The tomatoes gave it a nice flavor and the onions added a little crunch.

The sauce was so delicious, I had to stop myself from eating it before the fish was done!  I added some mushrooms and onions to it, which only added to its wonderful taste. Served it on a bed of steamed spinach, with sides of cole slaw and asparagus. Will be serving it the next time we have company. It would work with any fish, and even chicken.

So wonderful. We’re on Kauai &amp; the fresh mahi-mahi was delicious cooked like this. Try it!

I had frozen tilapia filets to use and they worked great. My 4 year old ate ALL of her fish and asked for more! So good, though I will half the amount of butter for our 3 fish filets next time. We ate with jasmine rice, which was just amazing.

I really liked this recipe....I was feeling like I had too much butter with the sauce so I think I will experiment a bit with that...I liked the simplicity of it and will make it again...

Made it exactly according to the recipe.  Sauce adds far more fat and calories than character.

I guess this deserves five stars considering the fact that my husband ate it all and I didn't get to taste it! I used cod because I had it on hand. I also put in a lot more hot sauce because we like spicy. I'll have to make it again!

accidental fish

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Cost: $12.19 /serving

Author : Islandwatergirl

Ingredients

Instructions

Top Similar Recipes from Across the Web

Accidental Make-Ahead Turkey

Fish “pataniscas” (fried fish)

Fish Seasoning - for any fish

Fish Cutlets {Indian Fish Croquette...

Fish Curry

Fish parmigiana

Fish Tacos

Provencale fish

Fish Larb

Fish Tacos

Fish Florentine

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Fish Pie

Baked Fish

Fish Veracruz

Fish Fry

Fish pie