Marinated Swordfish with Avocado Salsa
Like the completely inept food blogger that I am, I made this months and months ago and forgot to say a single silly little word about it. But I was looking over some photos just now, and found the images from when I made this, and was all, “Hey! I forgot about that! It was soooooo good!”
So here I am. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by because it’s not every day that we eat seafood. And the instances where it’s something worth blogging about are even fewer and farther between. It’s not that I don’t enjoy fish- I really do! But it somehow seems a little trickier to execute than the average dinner around here. First of all, I can’t keep up with what I’m supposed to look for in fish. Farm-raised? Wild caught? What’s the deal with Mercury? Wait, harpoon-caught is a good thing? (Yes, apparently it is.) As someone who really truly is trying to make responsible food choices, the options make my head spin a little bit, and often, I just wind up saying, “Forget it, it’s cheese quesadilla night.” If I do get past the decision-making phase of it all, the cost often makes my head go from spinning to exploding. Good fish ain’t cheap, peeps. So it’s kind of an occasional treat around here. So when we have it, I want it to be really good.
If you’re like me, and don’t get to eat fish too often, swordfish is a great choice. It’s mild, but also firm and unfussy. It’s often described at meat-y, which I suppose it kind of is. It’s a good gateway fish if you’re serving it to a crowd of meat-eaters, let’s put it that way. It’s firm texture, yet delicate flavor are easy to love, and on top of that, it’s easy to cook. You don’t have to worry too much about it falling apart on you on this grill, which isn’t the case with all fish. Grilled swordfish is just begging for something cool, crisp, and bright to accompany it, and this simple salsa does the trick. It’s everything you want here- the perfect play of textures, nice bright acidity from the lime juice, and just a little kick. Together, this makes an awesome quick weeknight meal, but it is impressive enough that you could make it ahead for a weekend BBQ. No one will miss the burgers, I promise.
Marinated Swordfish with Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- FOR THE SWORDFISH
- Finely grated zest and juice from 2 lime
- Finely grated zest and juice from 1 large orange
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, white and light-green parts only
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon honey
- Pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 4 slices swordfish, each about 5 ounces and 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or more as needed
- FOR THE SALSA
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
- For the marinade: Combine the lime zest and juice, orange zest and juice, extra-virgin olive oil, scallions, cilantro, sea salt, honey and cayenne pepper in a nonreactive baking dish. Add the swordfish and gently turn to coat the fish. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour, turning the fish over from time to time, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. (If you have refrigerated the fish, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking.)
- Meanwhile, make the salsa: Combine the tomatoes, red bell pepper, cilantro, red onion, mint, sea salt, black and cayenne pepper, olive oil, avocado and lemon juice in a mixing bowl, tossing gently to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
- To cook the swordfish and finish the salsa: Remove the fish from the marinade. Scrape any ingredients that may have stuck to the fish back into the marinade; transfer the marinade to a small saucepan.
- Oil a hot grill (or use a non-stick grill spray). Grill the fish for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, or just until it's firm and opaque all the way through.
- Bring the marinade to a boil over high heat; cook for about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Spoon some of the marinade over each piece of fish, and pour the rest into a pitcher to be passed at the table.
- Add the avocado and lime juice to the salsa and toss to incorporate. Spoon some salsa on top of each piece of fish and serve. If you have leftover salsa, bring it to the table.