I love cooking with cast iron. I honestly should try to do it more, especially because I’m a reenactor and the more practice I can get, the better I’ll be. But I’m not quite at the point where I can whip something up the same way I can using a nonstick skillet.

So, as a challenge, Shawn and I decided to create a dish that’s both healthy (relatively) and impressive. I think we did a good job, though we did slightly overcook the fish.

Warning: Don’t overcook the fish.

We left it in the oven too long. Just make sure to keep an eye on it. I think 15 minutes will be fine, but of course ovens vary, so make sure to check it.

If you don’t have a large cast iron skillet, you can always use a nonstick skillet and spray it with olive oil cooking spray.

As for the nutrition facts, I wasn’t sure how to account for the marinade, since most of it doesn’t stick with the fish and therefore, you don’t consume those calories. So I guessed that 1 Tbsp of the maple syrup (from the ¼ cup that’s added to the marinade) actually gets eaten. I don’t know…it was a hard call, because, honestly, that’s probably guessing high. But better to be safe, right?

Now, here’s the cool thing about this dish. Rosemary and maple together equals amazing forest-like flavor. I’m not even kidding. I’d love to take credit for this discovery, but it was all Shawn. I didn’t really believe him until I tried it myself.

So even if you’re not up for making the whole dish, at least try the roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables. I think you’ll be amazed by the rosemary/maple combo too.

Yields: 5 servings
Cook Time: At least 35 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinate fish

Ingredients:

5 (6oz) fillets of mahi mahi
¼ cup, 2 Tbsp, 5 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp dried rosemary
¾ cup water
¼ tsp sea salt
1 lb bag carrots, peeled and sliced into 3 inch long sticks
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3 inch long sticks
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into 3 inch long sticks
olive oil nonstick cooking spray
salt, pepper, and dried rosemary to taste
3 oz pecan chips

In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup syrup, rosemary, water, and sea salt. Put fish in a zip-lock and pour mixture into the bag. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a very large bowl, combine carrots, sweet potatoes, and parsnips. Spray generously with olive oil nonstick cooking spray, add 2 Tbsp maple syrup, and season to taste with rosemary, pepper, and salt. Stir to evenly coat. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet (or two), then spread vegetables evenly on the sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn oven up to 375 degrees. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Remove fish fillets from marinade and add in a single layer to the skillet. Brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until seared evenly. If not all your fillets fit on the cast iron skillet at the same time, transfer to a baking dish. Coat the top of each fillet with pecan chips, dividing evenly. Drizzle each fillet with 1 tsp maple syrup. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish is flaky. Serve with roasted vegetables.

Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer: I am not a certified nutritionist…these are just the calculations I’m pretty sure are close to correct. I use BodyMedia to generate my information.

Calories: 455
Fat: 13.9g
Saturated Fat: 1.4g
Cholesterol: 124.2mg
Sodium: 342.9mg
Carbohydrates: 48.7g
Dietary Fiber: 8.3g
Sugar: 21.8g
Protein: 35.7g

Dietary Exchange: 5 Meat, 3 Starch, at least 2 Vegetable servings
Jenny Craig: You could get away with this for dinner if you only ate half the fish fillet.
Weight Watchers: 11 Points (using calculatorcat.com).