If you’re new to grilling fish, swordfish steaks are the perfect place to start—sturdy, skinless, and meaty, they take to the grill like a champ. The key is to not overcook them. You’re shooting for an internal temperature that’s just shy of 135°F, which will yield meat that’s just-opaque and juicy. If your fish is sticking to the grate once your timer dings, don’t panic: As long as your steaks are properly oiled, they’ll release easily when they’re ready.
I like to finish my fish with a relish-y tomato topping flavored with saffron, almost-crispy garlic, and buttery olives for a superfast and summery dinner that begs to be eaten outdoors. Multi-colored cherry tomatoes from the farmers’ market make for the best presentation, but aren’t strictly necessary; a cold bottle of wine at the ready, on the other hand, is non-negotiable. —Kendra Vaculin
This recipe is part of Short Is Sweet, our collection of summer dishes that deliver a whole lot of deliciousness in 30 minutes or less.
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What you’ll need
Small Saucepan
$155 At Amazon
Fish Spatula
$14 At Amazon
Large Basting Spoon
$16.37 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Ingredients
4 Servings
2
2
3
2
½
12
1
½
½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Season fish on both sides with salt. Pour 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil into a shallow bowl or a baking dish; add fish and turn to coat.
Step 2
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low. Add garlic and saffron, crushing threads between your fingers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is just starting to turn golden at the edges, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
Step 3
Grill fish until firm when gently pressed and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter.
Step 4
Add tomatoes, chives, parsley, olives, and vinegar to bowl with reserved garlic mixture and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over fish.
Leave a Review
Reviews (28)
Back to Top5min per side at medium high is about a minute too long per side for most swordfish steaks—they will end up overcooked and tasting like rubber. I also agree with other reviewers that this would have been better if the tomatoes were cooked, and that the sauce needed something else—this was a pretty, but mediocre, dish.
Mary
Brooklyn, NY
10/7/2021
The picture was so wonderful that I expected this to be at least a 4-star recipe. My daughter said I was brave to serve something to company before testing it first. I told her so many "bon appetite" recipes are so great, that I was not worried. Well, I ate my words. This recipe was okay, but that's not what I was going for. My food was picture perfect, but the taste was lackluster. I think the recipe called for too much parsley (or maybe I packed mine too tightly). Also, I think it would have been better if the tomatoes were cooked. I'm not saving this one in my recipe box.
Mary-Dee
Laguna Hills, CA
7/26/2021
Lovely simple preparation. Must like safforn.
Anonymous
Brooklyn, NY
7/13/2021
Me encanta esa receta
Anonymous
Mexico
7/7/2021
Delicious! Very refreshing and rich at the same time.
John
Sag Harbor
7/6/2021
This recipe was delicious and easy! The market didn't have swordfish, so we had salmon (in the pan not grilled) and it was still incredible with the relish. Will make again!
RLD
7/6/2021
So its pesce spada alla Siciliana minus all the good stuff? Add in pine nuts and raisins to your sauce if you want a truly great recipe. Also, cite your sources...
Jason
Philadelphia, PA
6/28/2021
Very tasty and very easy, however, next time I make this I will use half butter and half olive oil to sauté the garlic and will add half of the tomatoes to the butter/oil / garlic mix to cook them a bit for more flavor and to release some of their juices. Very colorful and flavorful. I had extra tomato/olive mix left over and ate it over mixed greens the next day. Will make this again.
Kathy
Denver
6/27/2021
Fabulous and very easy! Great dinner party dish.
Denise
Sugar Land, Texas
6/20/2021
Delicious! Made a few adjustments: used red snapper instead swordfish and, of course, added butter! I also added some thyme at the end. Lovely and light.
Anonymous
6/7/2021