Being from Florida, when I’m asked to create a dish that represents me and where I’m from, seafood, fresh produce, and fruit are always at the top of my list.  When Cooks vs. Cons threw party dip into the mix, I had to get creative, but considering that I could eat dip by the spoonful, I knew that I was up to the challenge.

First decision…which dips will I use?  We were given the options of bean dip, hummus, spinach-artichoke, onion, and guacamole.  Immediately, I knew that I could use the onion dip in a slaw, so my dish would definitely include some sort of tropical slaw with mango, pineapple, and anything else I could find in the kitchen. Then, I knew that guacamole could make a great dipping sauce for fish, so my dish came together pretty fast.

Since the show aired in April, I’ve had a lot of people ask how to make a slaw using party dip, so here goes…

Ingredients

Fish
4 filets/portions mahi
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
a few dashes of tabasco
1 cup shredded coconut
2 TBSP dry bread crumbs

Slaw
1 bag of tricolor slaw (no dressing)
½ c. chopped mango
1 carambola (star fruit)
¼ crushed pineapple (drained)
5-6 mandarin orange segments
½ c. onion dip
2-3 TBSP key lime juice
1 TBSP sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Avacado Crema
½ c. guacamole
½ c. Greek yogurt
1 TBSP key lime juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Fish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine melted butter, salt, pepper, and tabasco in a large bowl. Add fish and stir to coat. Combine coconut and bread crumbs. Roll fish in coconut mixture, and pressing to coat each filet. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or just until fish is opaque.

Slaw
In a small bowl, whisk together dip, key lime juice, and sugar. In a larger bowl, combine slaw and fruit. Toss with dressing. Add salt & pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.

Avocado Crema
In a blender combine all ingredients. Puree until smooth.

Plating
Drizzle plate with avocado crema.  Top with a spoonful of slaw and a mahi filet. Garnish with thin slices of mango.