One of the many perks of living on the Southeast coast is easy-access to fresh fish. Either caught by your own hand or someone else’s. On Sunday we were the happy recipients of the latter when our nephew (pictured below) showed up at our house with a Ziploc full of fresh-caught Mahi.

I immediately pulled all of our cookbooks off the shelves and scanned the index pages, looking for the perfect recipe—one that called for just the right amount of spice and combination of ingredients to bring out the filet’s flavor without overwhelming the fish. Bingo: Hugh Acheson’s Grilled Mahimahi with Hot Sauce Beurre Blanc from his A New Turn in the South cookbook. This will certainly be our go-to summer fish recipe.  Thanks, chef!

Ingredients:
* 1 shallot, minced
* ½ cup cider vinegar
* 1 tbsp. lemon juice
* 2 tbsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce (such as Texas Pete's; Acheson says to skip the spicier Tabasco. We used Cholula)
* 1 stick of cold unsalted butter, cubed
* Salt

Preparation:
1. In a 1-quart sauce pan, combine the shallot, cider vinegar and lemon juice. Place over medium heat and reduce until there is only about 2 tablespoons of liquid.

2. Add the hot sauce (it'll seem like a lot!) and reduce to a low simmer.

3. Begin slowly whisking in the cold butter. Season with a pinch of salt.

4. Place sauce pan in a hot water bath to keep warm.

5. Place Mahi on a plate and season with salt and olive oil.

6. Grill for about 3 minutes per side.

7. Drizzle with Beurre Blanc and serve with a lemon. We placed our filets on a mound of collards sautéed in bacon fat. Acheson recommends serving over thinly sliced cucumbers marinated in lemon juice and olive oil. Either way: Perfection.

What’s your go-to fresh fish recipe?