Mahi Mahi with Pork-Happy Brussels Sprouts

I’m fortunate to have a ton of friends who are as into food as I am. A special clan of food obsessed junkies who are always searching out the newest spot, the most talked-about recipe or the hottest ingredient. Speaking of hot ingredients, pork belly is one that has gotten a lot of action over the past year or so. But can you blame it? It’s so good!

So when my friend Helge, a personal chef, offered me a slab of some of his home-cured pork belly, I jumped at it. Who doesn’t love cured pork?! I used some of it right away to make e a delicious pork belly, caramelized onion and goat cheese pizza, and put the rest of it in the freezer for a later date. It’s a pretty nice ingredient to have around, especially when inspiration strikes. Or when you wanna get pork-happy.

Mahi Mahi with Pork Belly Brussels Sprouts (serves 2)

What you need:

2 6-ounce mahi mahi fillets
16 ounces of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or quartered, depending on how large they are)
2 ounces of cured pork belly, cut in half lengthwise to create two thick slabs
1 very large shallot, thinly sliced
1 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper, to taste

How you do it:

Add pork belly slabs to a (cold) large pan. Turn on heat to medium-high and cook until crispy, approximately 2 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until crispy, approximately 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and dice into chunks. Set aside.
Add Brussels sprouts and shallots to the same pan, cooking them in the leftover pork fat. Add the juice of half a lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Toss occasionally until browned, approximately 2 or 3 minutes. Once brown, add white wine and cover, steaming the Brussels sprouts until cooked through, approximately 8 minutes more.
While Brussels sprouts are steaming, heat a grill pan (or a large skillet) over high heat. Lightly drizzle the mahi mahi with olive oil and season it with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook until flaky; approximately 4 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of your fish, of course).
Just before serving, add the crispy pork belly and the remaining lemon juice to the sprouts, and toss to combine. Plate by serving mahi mahi on top of the Brussels sprout mixture.