Swordfish is great for grilling. It is a very firm-fleshed fish, and holds together where other fish flake apart. If you are just starting out with grilling fish, try swordfish.
Swordfish may be easy to grill, but it is very mild-tasting. I marinate swordfish in olive oil with lemon, oregano, and a pinch of sugar. This gives it a crunchy browned crust on the grill. Then I serve it with a Greek salad full of olives, feta cheese, and grilled peppers and onions. The result is a balance of opposites-mild, meaty swordfish meets crunchy, bold salad.
Now, if you've been around for a while (like me), you might be thinking: Swordfish? Isn't it endangered? What happened to "Give swordfish a break?"
Your memory isn't failing you. Swordfish was in trouble back in the '90s, and there was a campaign to save it. Thanks to good fisheries management, North Atlantic swordfish had fully recovered by 2009. Buy swordfish that was caught in North American waters and give your conscience a break-our swordfish is sustainable, and will be around for a very long time.
Looking for more grilled seafood? Try my Grilled Scallops with Grapefruit Vinaigrette.
Print📖 Recipe Card
Grilled Swordfish with Greek Salad
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Lemon and oregano marinated swordfish steaks grilled alongside peppers and onions, served over a Greek salad of romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, feta and Kalamata olives.
Ingredients
Grilled Fish
- 4 (1 inch thick) swordfish steaks
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (½ teaspoon per steak)
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Grilled Vegetables
- 1 large red onion, cut into ½ inch thick rounds
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, sides cut into large planks
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, sides cut into large planks
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Greek Salad
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or minced fresh oregano)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 English cucumber, halved and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
- 10 ounces romaine, chopped (about 3 hearts)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
- 6 ounces Kalamata olives, drained
Instructions
- Marinate the swordfish: Season the swordfish with the salt and pepper. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, oregano and sugar in a zip-top bag. Add the fish, massage the marinade onto it, squeeze out the air, and seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning now and then.
- Season the vegetables: Sprinkle the onion and peppers with the salt, and let rest at room temperature until it's time to grill.
- Prepare the grill: Preheat the grill, and brush the grate clean. Set up two zones - half on medium-high for the fish, half on medium-low for the vegetables.
- Start the salad: Whisk the lemon juice and zest, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, thyme and olive oil in a small bowl. Add the cucumber, and toss to coat. Put the romaine in a large bowl, and top with the tomatoes, feta and olives. Don't toss yet.
- Grill the vegetables: Grill the onion and peppers over medium-low heat until soft and charred at the edges, about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Grill the swordfish: Meanwhile, take the fish out of the marinade, let the excess drip off, and grill over medium-high heat until it reaches 130°F, 6 to 8 minutes, flipping after 4 minutes. (Keep the lid closed on a gas grill; leave it open on charcoal.) It should still be slightly translucent in the middle - it finishes cooking as it rests.
- Finish the salad: Trim any burnt edges from the onion and peppers, and cut them into thin strips. Add them to the salad bowl, pour the vinaigrette and cucumbers over the top, and toss to coat.
- Serve: Fill each plate with salad, and top with a swordfish steak.
Notes
Don't overcook the swordfish, or it dries out. Take it off just shy of medium, and let it finish as it rests.
Grill the swordfish with the skin on for extra flavor, then trim it off before serving - it's too tough to eat.
Buy swordfish caught in North American waters - it's a sustainable fishery.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinate: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
This post is part of the BlogHer Light & Fresh Summer Grilling series, which includes 100 percent editorial content presented by a participating sponsor. Our advertisers do not produce editorial content. This post is made possible by Michelob ULTRA Light Cider and BlogHer.
*Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner using the RSS or Email options on the right, link to this post from your blog, recommend DadCooksDinner to your friends, or buy something from Amazon.com
through the links on this site. Thank you.
Comments
No Comments