Equipment
Ingredients
Swordfish
- 680 g swordfish steaks, cut into 4 equal steaks, about 2.5cm thick
- 15 ml olive oil, for brushing
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Salsa Verde
- 30 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 30 g capers, drained, rinsed, and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic, minced into a paste
- 30 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g lemon zest, microplaned
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 g kosher salt
- 1 g black pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbohydrates
- 2 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 0 g
- Sodium
- 998 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 19 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 112 mg
- Potassium
- 777 mg
- Calcium
- 28 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 58 mg
- Phosphorus
- 442 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 94 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 14 mg
- Vitamin D
- 23.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 6.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 138 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.9 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.14 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 13.4 mg
- Folate
- 18 mcg
- Water
- 146 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Finely chop the parsley, capers, and garlic on a clean cutting board.
Combine the chopped parsley, capers, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir well and set aside to allow the flavors to meld.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat, approximately 230 degrees Celsius or 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure the grates are very clean.
Pat the swordfish steaks completely dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of the steaks with olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Place the swordfish on the hot grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until well-defined grill marks appear, the flesh turns completely opaque, and the internal temperature reaches 63 degrees Celsius or 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Transfer the grilled swordfish to a clean plate or cutting board and let it rest for 3 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
Transfer the rested swordfish steaks to serving plates. Spoon the salsa verde generously over the top of each steak and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Swordfish is uniquely dense and meaty, making it one of the most forgiving and satisfying fish to grill. Treat it more like a premium steak than a delicate whitefish fillet.
- Rinsing the capers is a crucial step. It removes their harsh, salty brine, allowing their pure, floral tang to shine through without overpowering the delicate herbs.
- For the absolute best salsa verde texture, commit to hand-chopping the ingredients. Using a food processor can turn the herbs to mush and easily make the extra virgin olive oil taste extremely bitter due to sheer force.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store salsa verde and swordfish in separate airtight containers. Fish is best consumed immediately.
Reheating: Reheat swordfish very gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water, or serve chilled flaked over a salad.
Troubleshooting
Swordfish is dry and tough
Cause: Overcooking. Swordfish has a low fat content and dries out very quickly if left on the heat too long.
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but serving with extra salsa verde will help mask the dryness and add needed moisture.
Prevention: Use a digital meat thermometer to ensure the thickest part reaches exactly 63 degrees Celsius and no higher.
Fish sticks to the grill and tears when flipping
Cause: The grill grates were dirty, not hot enough, or the fish was not properly oiled.
Fix: Use a thin, flexible metal fish spatula to carefully slide under the crust to detach it from the grates.
Prevention: Preheat the grill thoroughly, clean the grates with a brush, and ensure the fish is coated in a thin layer of oil.
Salsa verde tastes bitter
Cause: The olive oil was overworked or blended in a food processor, which can extract bitter compounds.
Fix: Stir in a small pinch of sugar or an extra splash of lemon juice to balance the bitterness.
Prevention: Always hand-chop herbs for salsa verde and mix the olive oil in gently by hand.
Cultural Context
Italian salsa verde is a classic, rustic condiment traditionally used to cut through the richness of boiled meats, roasted poultry, or grilled seafood. Unlike Mexican salsa verde, which relies on tomatillos, the Italian version is an herb-forward emulsion rooted in the Mediterranean tradition of using fresh, acidic, and briny ingredients to elevate simple, high-quality proteins.
