Lemon Garlic Swordfish

Fish comes in many different varieties, and they’re all good. One of my favorites is swordfish, it’s a meaty fish, cooks like a steak in the pan or the grill. I don’t get to grill as much as I would like, apartment living doesn’t much allow for it. However, cooking in the pan works just fine, and a great way to pan cook is with lemon and garlic. So, here is lemon garlic swordfish

Most fish has a delicate meat, meaning, it doesn’t hold up well during cooking and tends to fall apart. Swordfish, however, is different, it has a more solid consistency that makes it easier to cook. They are an abundant fish found in the warmer waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Growing to about 10 feet long and weighing up to 1000 pounds. They are very popular with sport fishermen.

Swordfish are predatory, and are found high up the food chain. Because their diet is fish not scraps, their meat can contain elevated levels of methylmercury, a naturally occurring toxin. This certainly doesn’t make the meat poisonous, however pregnant women should reduce their intake. On the positive side, adding fish to your diet is extremely beneficial. High in protein, low in saturated fat, high in unsaturated fat and, high in omega 3 fish oils. Fish in general is a healthy addition to any diet, and, adding swordfish to that mix is a good idea.

For as many different types of fish as there are, there are just as many ways to cook it.

However, if there is lemon and garlic on the ingredient list, it just seems better. Lemon is added to help to enhance the light flavors of the fish, and garlic, well, lets just say it’s more than just a vampire repellant.

Your swordfish steak came to you in one of two ways, frozen, or thawed at the fish monger. Well, unless you bought it from the boat it was caught on. This is important because of water retention. When the fish is thawed at the fishmonger the meat is given the opportunity to dry out, you have to give your frozen fish that opportunity when thawing at home. And, you have two options, take the fish out of it’s packaging, lay on a few sheets of paper towels and allow to thaw in the fridge for 8-10 hours. Or, leave the fish in it’s packaging, place in a bowl under the faucet and run cold water over it for about 15-20 mins, or till thawed. Now remove from the bag, sprinkle with Kosher salt, and lay paper towels for about 15-20 in the fridge to remove moisture.

While the fish is doing it’s thing, time to prep the other ingredients. What other ingredients you say? True, this recipe only has three, however, what are you serving it with? Salad, fries, rice, there are options. Now, on to the rest of the ingredients, with a sharp knife on a cutting board, take a ripe lemon and slice in two, easy, right.. This brings up an interesting point, lemon pits! And an easy solution, squeeze the lemon with the cut side up, when you squeeze, the juice runs over your hand and onto the fish and you can pick out the pits before they go into the food. This works great, unless you have a cut on your hand. If this is the case, squeeze the lemon through a small strainer. Finely dice 3 decent cloves of garlic, well, it is lemon garlic swordfish

Back to the fish. Because garlic and the swordfish steaks cook differently, I have a little trick to keep the garlic from becoming burnt bits, but keep the flavor. So preheat the pan, and add the olive oil, when hot add the garlic and allow to soften and release it’s flavor into the oil, now remove the garlic, and add the swordfish. The oil has all the garlic flavor, which the swordfish will absorb as it cooks. The steaks need approximately 5-6 mins on each side, now return the cooked garlic to the pan, add the fresh lemon juice, and allow all the flavors to get to know each other. Cook the steaks to an internal temp of 145.

That’s it, your lemon garlic swordfish is done, garnish with chopped parsley and ready to serve with a side of your choice. Thank you for reading, enjoy your meal