RitaAmordicucina’s Swordfish Rolls.
Today I want to offer you a traditional main dish from my city, Messina. You should know that in our Strait of Messina, swordfish is caught from May to September using characteristic boats with a gangway and antenna.
This fish is the King of Messina cuisine, and there isn’t a family that in the past, present, or future hasn’t had a family member on these boats. My husband has been doing this fishing for many generations along with others.
The rolls can be simply grilled or cooked in Ghiotta, the classic sauce with capers and olives.
Now I will present the first version, although the procedure is the same, only we will grill them and not put them in Ghiotta.

Thought for you:

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 2
Cooking methods: Grill
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

760.83 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 760.83 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 32.58 (g) of which sugars 4.25 (g)
Proteins 40.17 (g)
Fat 50.56 (g) of which saturated 11.00 (g)of which unsaturated 12.11 (g)
Fibers 2.56 (g)
Sodium 1,210.37 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Let’s go shopping

10.5 oz swordfish (thin slices of belly)
1 cup cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons pine nuts
2 teaspoons salted capers (already desalted)
4 green olives in brine (already desalted)
1.75 oz cheese (Ragusano DOP)
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 bunch chopped parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 sprig wild fennel (chopped)

Tools

What we need

Bowl
Food processor
Grill non-stick/cast iron plate/cast iron pan
Skewers (I use wooden ones)
Brush

Preparation of RitaAmordicucina’s Swordfish Rolls

The first thing you need to ensure is that the fish is very fresh.
Ask your trusted fishmonger for thin slices of belly, which is the part of the stomach.
You will immediately recognize these slices because they have an almost triangular shape that facilitates rolling onto themselves.
Soak the capers and..
the olives, for 10 minutes, and rinse them well to remove excess salt.
Wash the wild fennel.
Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of water, the olives, the capers, and a sprig of fennel into the food processor and chop everything.
Set aside.
Now we need to prepare the filling: in a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs seasoned with: salt and pepper, chopped parsley, pine nuts, and finely chopped Ragusano DOP cheese.
Pour in the mixture we have chopped in the food processor and mix. If it still seems dry, add a few more drops of water.
Spread all the slices on a work surface.
On each one, place a mound of filling, and starting from the widest part, fold the tips inward and roll up.
Skewer them on skewers, and brush them with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Place the cast iron grill on the fire and let it heat up well, otherwise the skewers will stick. (I’ve had mine for years and it’s still in great condition) Now it’s on offer.
Cook for about 3 minutes per side.
Here are the RitaAmordicucina’s Swordfish Rolls ready.