Swordfish has always been a favorite fish of mine. In college I worked at a restaurant that served a dish they called Swordfish Madagascar. It was by far my favorite dish there. The chefs at the restaurant had this preparation on the menu all the time because it was so popular.
The fish was grilled, then finished with a simple lemon-butter sauce, but what made it unique were the fresh, soft green Madagascar peppercorns use to finish the sauce. These peppercorns are so fragrant and have an interesting bite to them. They served the dish simply over rice and it was amazing.
There was a period of time when swordfish got a bad rap because the large fish can carry worms in the meat and also have high levels of mercury. I didn’t eat it for a few years, but cold water swordfish doesn’t generally have the worms and people have quit talking about it as much so I have gone back to eating it occasionally.
I saw swordfish on sale recently, and it looked delicious so I brought home two big steaks for dinner that night. Swordfish is a heartier, meatier fish that is often described as “steaky.” I like it because it holds up when you cook it on the grill but has a mellow, simple flavor to it.
On this night I didn’t think through what I was going to make with the fish once I brought it home. I fondly recalled the swordfish dish of my past but only had capers on hand. So, I decided to make a version of this dish using capers rather than the peppercorns.
What is nice about this meal is that it is relatively healthy, it is super simple to cook, but it also has a great flavor. I made this on a night when we had been active all day, and I didn’t have much time to prep.
I started some rice in a rice cooker then got to work on the butter sauce. Right before serving I sautéed a pile of spinach. That was basically it.
Serve the fish in a shallow bowl with rice on the bottom and spinach on the side. Top with the fish and let the sauce melt into the rest of the dish so it all goes together. Clean up is a snap and since you can cook the fish on a grill outside, you have the added benefit of it not making your house too hot since you don’t need to really use the stove.
My husband grilled the fish so I can’t tell you exactly how long to cook it for, and it also depends on the size of the swordfish steaks. One tip that I can share with you, though, is to try not to move the fish once you have added it to the grill except to flip it once. If you keep messing with it the meat can fall apart a little bit.
Swordfish with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 swordfish steaks
- ½ stick of butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 2 tablespoons capers (or Madagascar green peppercorns), drained of brine
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry the swordfish steaks.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside until ready to grill.
- In the meantime mix the rest of ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.
- Grill the swordfish steaks on a medium hot grill until they are just cooked through, trying to flip only once.
- Put on a platter and immediately add a scoop of the butter mixture to the top.
- Let the butter melt into a sauce and serve in a shallow bowl with spinach and rice.
