Grilled swordfish steaks that have marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme and garlic
What’s your favorite way to prepare swordfish? Mine is marinated in an herby vinaigrette, and then grilled.
Swordfish is a sturdy fish. It holds up like steak when you cook it, and like beef, takes well to marinating.
A quick and easy marinade is just a bottle of your favorite Italian dressing. Or if you, like me, prefer to make your dressings and marinades from scratch, here’s a lovely Greek-inspired vinaigrette with which to marinate the swordfish.
It’s made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano and thyme.
Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Oregano Marinade Recipe
- Prep time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Cook time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
If you are buying fresh swordfish, buy the freshest you can. Like any other fresh fish, it should not smell « fishy » at all. Really, at all. Do not buy fresh fish to eat tomorrow. Cook it and eat it the day you buy it. Looking at the swordfish steaks in the market, any coloration should be pink, not brown. Pick out the best looking, most fresh pieces available.
To defrost frozen fish, keep it in its package, defrost slowly in a bowl of cold water.
Ingredients
Marinade ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Fish:
- 2 6-8-ounce swordfish steaks
- Olive oil for grill grates
- Slices of fresh lemon for garnish
Method
1 Make marinade: Place all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, mix to combine.
2 Marinate the swordfish: Rinse the swordfish steaks in cold water and pat dry. (Don’t remove the fish skin, it will help keep the steaks from falling apart when grilling. You can always remove after the fish is cooked before serving, if you want.)
Place the fish in a non-reactive dish and cover with the marinade. Coat on all sides with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour to an hour.
3 Prepare the grill: Prepare your grill for high direct heat. You know the grill is hot enough when you place your hand one inch above the grill grates and you can only keep it there for 1 second.
Wipe the grill grates with a paper towel infused with olive oil to oil the grates so the swordfish steaks don’t stick when you turn them over.
4 Grill the swordfish steaks: Brush off excess marinade (not all of it, just most) from the swordfish steaks. Place the swordfish steaks on the hot grill grates. Grill for about 5 to 7 minutes on one side, until you have good grill marks.
Turn over and cook for a few minutes longer, until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Serve with slices of fresh lemon.
Links:
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch – the place to check to help choose sustainably harvested seafood
Grilled Swordfish with Avocado Salsa – from My Colombian Recipes
Grilled Fish with Citrus Herb Crust – from Steamy Kitchen
Grilled Tuna Kebabs – here on Simply Recipes
