Mahi Mahi Burgers Glazed with IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce | #BeerMonth

Although I don't limit cooking with beer to once a year, I always look forward to April when Sophia from NY Foodgasm holds her annual #BeerMonth event! There are so many varieties and producers of beer, from big box to the small artisan, that I love seeing which one everybody cooking along will choose to use and what flavors they will be paired with.

I chose a hoppy Lagunitas IPA to cook with today. For anytime drinking, I normally gravitate towards stouts, porters, or dark ales, but when I'm in the mood, I can drink the heck out of something really hoppy and "bitter". This particular IPA, made with 43 different hops and 65 various malts, is a bit carmely and very easy to drink. It cuts fatty or heavy components of a meal easily, making it a nice accompaniment to a meal.

It's bold, and in all honesty, almost too bold for Mahi Mahi, overpowering the delicate flavor. However, it works here.

These burgers are rockin' all on their own, laced with herbs, shallots, and the slightest hint of chile pepper. But the flavors in the IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce really skyrocket them to the next level. It could be a real bully with its competing sweet, hot, and bitter notes, but when brushed on as a glaze during the second half of cooking, it winds up being more of a big teddy bear. I liked them even more with a little extra spooned on top and a cool glass of the Lagunitas IPA to wash them down.

Mahi Mahi Burgers Glazed with IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

These flavorful Mahi Mahi burgers are delicious on their own, but glazing them with an IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce takes them to a whole nother level.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 30 minutes (unattended)

Cook Time: 10 minutes (fish burgers), 20 minutes (barbecue sauce)

Keywords: grill entree pescetarian nut-free fish beer

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the burgers:

• 1.25 pounds skinned Mahi Mahi, any pin bones removed
• small handful fresh cilantro
• leaves from 4 leafy mint sprigs
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 tablespoon ground fresh chile paste (like sambal oelek)
• finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the IPA Hoisin Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 cup IPA beer
• 1 cup (~9 ounces) hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons Mirin
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients for the burgers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything is well combined, but not yet a paste, ~35 times. Form mixture into 4 burgers and set them on tray lined with foil. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the burgers are in the fridge, make the barbecue sauce. Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until soft and fragrant, but not brown; stir in the sesame oil and let heat for 10 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Let simmer fiercely for 15-20 minutes, until reduced and thickened.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. If using buns, toast the cut sides on the grill pan. Lightly oil the pan and place the fish burgers onto it. Cook for 5 minutes on one side, then flip.

Brush a thick layer of the barbecue sauce over the top of the burgers and cook for another 5 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Serve the burgers as-is or on buns with whatever toppings you like (I used baby kale and red onion slices) and extra barbecue sauce.

Notes:

You will have leftover barbecue sauce that you can store in a lidded jar in the fridge once cool. It is lightly sweet and a bit bitter (in a good way) from the hoppy IPA, with a nice slow layer of heat. It's a delicious Asian-inspired sauce that can be used on seafood, pork, chicken, or duck.

Check out my previous #BeerMonth recipes here and check out all of this year's beer-infused offerings below!

• Chorizo Queso Fundido from Bread Booze Bacon
• Dale's Super Juicy Beer Can Chicken from NY Foodgasm
• Garlicky Beer + Tarragon Steamed Mussels from Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
• Hush Puppies with A Smoked Cheddar Stout Dip from Nomageddon
• Mahi Mahi Burgers Glazed with IPA-Hoisin Barbecue Sauce from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen