Grilled Swordfish with Summer Gremolata

How to Choose and Prepare Swordfish for Grilling?

Choosing fresh fish can feel like a challenge sometimes, but not to worry! Head over to the fish counter and take a look at what is available. You want to look for Swordfish steaks that are about 1-2 inches thick. These will be best for grilling.

The flesh of the Swordfish should look like a pinkish/ivory color, as shown in the photos here, and should not look gray or discolored in any way. You may see a darker red spot on the Swordfish steak, though. This is the bloodline and is completely normal. We always opt to trim the bloodline if it is on the edges of the steak as it has a bit stronger taste than the rest of the flesh, but this is up to you. Don't be afraid to ask the fishmonger, or person working at the fish counter, when the fish came in, how fresh it is, and to trim some of the bloodline. You want to make sure the fish arrived within 1-2 days for optimal freshness.

Fish Prep

To prep your fish, trim off any edges that look discolored then rinse and pat it dry. We will place the Swordfish steak back into the fridge, uncovered and on a rack, for about 15 minutes to dry the outside out slightly more in order to get a nice sear. Any excess moisture will impact the amount of sear you will achieve in the pan. And don't worry, doing this has no effect on how juicy and delicious the inside of the fish will be once cooked!

We keep the skin on until the fish is fully grilled then remove it to serve. The skin has a very tough texture and an unpleasant taste, and is essentially trash. Once the Swordfish is cooked, the skin will easily peel off.

We simply season the Swordfish with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil before grilling. Although Swordfish is great with a variety of seasonings and marinades, in this recipe, the gremolata will provide all the flavor you need!

What is Gremolata?

Gremolata is an Italian condiment that classically has just three ingredients. Finely chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest are traditional, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have variations. In fact, gremolata is most often associated with brightening up heavy, rich dishes, such as osso buco or some sort of hearty stew. But if you further enhance a gremolata, you can find some very interesting flavor combinations that not only work, but do wonders for dishes.

Our Summer Gremolata

We chose to enhance gremolata with a few additional ingredients and added it to this Grilled Swordfish steak. Think of a summertime herb mixture that makes a nice grilled, but rich, piece of fish sing in the sun with a perfect balance of flavors. The individual components that make up a traditional gremolata are not replaced at all, but their new teammates are perfect for swordfish or other, meaty grilled fish such as tuna, salmon, or even shark.

Adding mint, shallot, lemon juice, Fresno pepper, red pepper flakes and cilantro to the gremolata base will have a profound effect on the final dish. The lemon juice helps to bring a bit more acidity and helps to enhance the sweet and savory herbs of mint and cilantro. The shallot brings a bit more sweetness as well, especially as its sharpness is dulled by the lemon juice. Finally, the Fresno pepper and red pepper flakes add just enough heat so as not to be distracting or “spicy,” but to provide even more exotic flavor that a nice thick swordfish steak can certainly handle.