I often find myself at home on weekends thinking about what I could prepare for dinner that is quick and avoids having to go out shopping. Yes, because it’s a holiday for me too and I already do the shopping every day — honestly even on hectic Saturdays and Sundays I’d rather avoid it. That’s why I always try to have plenty of dinner-saving ingredients in the pantry or freezer. If you too are hit by weekend laziness, this recipe is for you. You only need a well-stocked pantry and freezer! It’s a very simple main course you will make in just 10 minutes starring swordfish. Fresh fish gives the best result, but I assure you that frozen fish will work great too. You’ll end up with an irresistible little sauce perfect for dipping a nice piece of bread… it may not be fancy but it’s to die for.
There’s only one fundamental trick for perfect swordfish… read the recipe and you’ll find out what it is.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 SERVINGS
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 4 swordfish steaks (about 7 oz (200 g) each)
- 2.6 oz (about 1/2 cup) black olives
- 4 tbsp capers, rinsed
- 1 cup datterini tomato pulp ((datterini))
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot (small)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- as needed flour
Preparation
Start by preparing the ingredients. If you decide to use fresh swordfish, have your fishmonger cut the steaks about 1 cm thick — about 3/8 inch —; they don’t need to be cleaned except for the large central bone which is easy to remove. If you use frozen product, simply defrost it before cooking (times depend on the ambient temperature but allow at least 3 hours — if you’re in a hurry, leave it 15 minutes in warm water).
Chop celery, carrot and onion in a food processor. Then rinse the capers to remove excess salt and drain the olives from their preserving liquid. Finally, prepare two plates.
Put a little flour on the first plate and dust the swordfish steaks one by one, shaking off the excess. As you flour each steak place it on the second plate.At this point, sauté the chopped celery, carrot and onion with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan large enough to fit the swordfish in a single layer (the slices should not overlap while cooking). Once the vegetables have softened, add the tomato pulp, season with salt and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the olives and capers and continue cooking over low heat for another 10 minutes.
In the last minutes of the sauce’s cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another pan (preferably non-stick) and when it’s hot arrange the swordfish steaks in it and cook over high heat for about 1 minute per side so a crust forms. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the swordfish to the pan with the sauce and continue cooking for another 3 minutes per side. When turning the steaks do it gently to avoid flaking the fish. Be very careful not to overcook the swordfish (this is the secret!!! no more than 8 minutes total cooking!), otherwise it tends to dry out. Serve hot.
Notes
As you may have noticed from the photo I removed the central bone and cooked the swordfish steaks cut into 4 pieces… the reason is that I have a picky child who doesn’t want to remove the single bone…! Once cooked it keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or if you prefer you can freeze it. If you used frozen swordfish, once prepared you should not refreeze it. One way to use leftovers is to dress a nice plate of pasta — you’ll see what a tasty sauce it makes; you won’t be able to resist soaking it up with bread.
