Come May in New England, we’re cleaning our grills and getting excited to be able to comfortably cook outdoors again. Over the Memorial Day holiday, we found some excellent looking swordfish at our local fishmonger. When evaluating the quality of swordfish, we look for firm, moist, clear and bright cuts with a clean bloodline.
Whether cooking as kabobs or steaks, swordfish provides a meaty taste that pairs well with assertive flavors. In this recipe, we keep it simple by quickly marinating the swordfish with sliced limes, cilantro stems, paprika, jalapeño, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
After grilling, we finish the swordfish steak with a mustard caper vinaigrette. This light accompaniment provides bursts of salinity from the capers while elevating the meaty texture of the swordfish and herbaceous, spicy marinade. We recommend serving this dish with our cauliflower tabbouleh salad.
Grilled swordfish with mustard caper vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 lbs swordfish steaks, about 1 ¼” thick (likely 2-4 steaks)
For the marinade
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil (substitute with other neutral oil like canola, sunflower or vegetable)
- 1 jalapeño, sliced into ⅛" thin rounds
- 1 lime, sliced into ⅛" thin rounds
- ½ cup cilantro stems, finely sliced (it's fine to incorporate some leaves)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1¼ tsp. kosher salt
For the vinaigrette
- 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp. freshly cracked black peppercorn
- 2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed
Instructions
- To make the marinade: in a medium-sized bowl, mix grapeseed oil, sliced jalapeño, sliced limes, cilantro stems, paprika and 1 tsp. salt. Mix to incorporate.
- Place swordfish steaks into a large zip loc bag or bowl. Pour marinade over swordfish steaks, ensuring they are fully coated. Place in fridge to marinate for 2-8 hours.
- To make the vinaigrette: in a medium-sized bowl, add mustard, lemon juice, ¼ tsp. pepper and ¼ tsp. salt. Whisk and slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify. Add capers to dressing and reserve in refrigerator.
- Heat grill on high and ensure it is clean. Lightly rub the hot grill grates with oil using a cloth or folded paper towel soaked in oil.
- Once grill is hot, pull swordfish from marinade and remove any leftover pieces of jalapeño or lime wheels. Place swordfish on hot grill and sear each side for 5 minutes with grill cover closed. (You may need to sear longer for a thicker cut piece of swordfish.) When done or just cooked through, remove from grill.
- To serve, spoon the mustard caper vinaigrette over the swordfish. We recommend serving this dish with our cauliflower tabbouleh salad.
