Broiled Swordfish with Lemon and Olive Oil

While in Italy, I enjoyed some delicious grilled swordfish at a rustic little restaurant in Sorrento. It was after a long day of hiking all over the island of Capri we had worked up quite an appetite. When we left our hotel to go out for supper the skies had opened up, and by the time we time we made it to the main piazza we were soaking wet. We walked up and down some random side streets (actually like narrow alleys, but the locals drive on them, mostly by moped) until we located  what looked like a nice place to eat. This place looked to have a mix of locals and tourists so we felt good about it. We hung our dripping coats on the rack and sat and relaxed over an excellent meal and some nice wine.

Here are my take on two dishes we enjoyed that day...caprese salad and grilled swordfish.

Caprese Salad
For lunch in Capri we shared a much deserved lunch consisting of margarita pizza and a caprese salad over looking the ocean.This salad, which means "salad in the style of Capri" couldn't be simpler to prepare. It consists of three simple ingredients, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. It's great just like that or seasoned with a little olive oil and vinegar (balsamic or red wine). To make it, simply arrange slices of the cheese and tomato topped with basil however you wish. Common ways to do so are in individual stacks or around a platter. As you can see in the photo, I made mine atop some lettuce as to make it a little more substantial of a first course salad.


Grilled/Broiled/Baked Swordfish

Which ever one of the above methods you choose, the same basis hold true when cooking a firm, "meaty" fish like swordfish...do not overcook it! Swordfish is one of my favorite seafood choices but whenever it is over cooked it becomes very dry. The nice thing this recipe does to overcome that is using a quick marinade/basting sauce, a quick cooking time, and a good squeeze fresh lemon juice at the end.

About 10-15 minutes before cooking, toss: 4  -- 6 ounce swordfish fillets (steaks) with a little olive oil, the zest of one lemon and a little fresh thyme.

Preheat the broiler or your grill on high. Once the grill/broiler is hot, season the fish well with salt and pepper. Cook the fish to a medium-well doneness for about 8 minutes in the oven or 3-4 minutes per side on the grill. About 1 minute brfore removing from the heat squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the fish.

Remove from heat and serve with lemon slices and fresh chopped parsley. If cooked in the oven, you will be left with a flavorful lemon-fish broth. Spoon the warm lemon sauce over the fish when serving.

Buona appetito!