The emotional dimension of this dish is infinite in my life. In the long-ago summer lull of a boat, its fragrance wafting from below deck is the only thing that could keep my siblings and me still for more than five minutes. In my teen years, it found a winter home in my newly divorced mother’s kitchen. As I enter adulthood and move to New York, I tinker with it in a tiny kitchen where, with time, the swordfish changes some and eventually gains its name as a witness to the beginning of my love for my husband. I still remember the moment. Leonard Cohen was billowing about a man tied to a kitchen chair, and I recall panicking that my too-small-for-achair kitchen wouldn’t be big enough to tie him down. I remember his hands between me and the stove, my clean hair caressing his nostrils. I remember that I never wanted that moment to end. It didn’t. Twenty-two years later in San Francisco, this brightly-hued combination of tomato, capers, and olives over swordfish is still the best-loved dish in my repertoire by both my husband and my son.
PrintPescespada dell’amore: Swordfish of Love
This brightly-hued combination of tomato, capers, and olives over swordfish is still the best-loved dish in my repertoire.
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons capers packed in salt
3 tablespoons Gaeta olives
1 pound / 450 g skinless swordfish steak
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
1 handful basil leaves
1 can (14 ounces / 400 g) peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
4 tablespoons / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
Put the capers into a tea strainer and run under hot water to melt away all the visible salt. Rinse well and leave to soak in warm water while you are readying the rest of the ingredients.
Wash the brine off the olives well and pit them. Leave them to soak in warm water until ready to use.
Cut the swordfish into 1-inch cubes. Season the cubes all over with 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper.
Slant the blade of your knife until it is almost parallel to the cutting board and use the heel of your hand to gently press the blade down on the garlic clove until you’ve cracked the skin. Peel the garlic clove and leave it whole.
Stack the basil leaves, roll them up tightly lengthwise, and slice them crosswise into thin ribbons. This technique will keep the basil from bruising and turning bitter.
Empty the can of tomatoes into a bowl. Fill the empty can with water and swirl it about to collect the tomato juice netting the sides of the can. Add it to the bowl. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher or your hands until they are broken but still chunky.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan, add the garlic clove, and set over medium-low heat. When you see some tiny bubbling around the garlic clove, turn it to blister on the other side. When the oil is shimmery and its fragrance wafts up to your nose without you having to bend over the stove, remove and discard the garlic.
Raise the heat to medium-high and add the swordfish cubes. Sear quickly on all sides for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the fish changes from powder pink to milky gray. Lift the swordfish from the pan with a slotted spoon. Let the moisture fall back into the pan and put the fish on a plate.
Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil into the same pan over medium heat and scrape up the bits left by the swordfish on the pan bottom. Add half of the basil and the tomatoes, season with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook at a lively simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tomatoes are no longer tangy.
Drain and squeeze the olives and capers, then stir them into the tomatoes. Cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, until the sauce is bright in color and taste and somewhat loose in appearance.
Turn off the heat and return the fish to the pan. Sprinkle with the oregano and stir. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper to suit your palate. If you like a flash of heat, now is the time to add red chili flakes. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and leave the swordfish in the hot sauce to finish cooking. In 15 to 20 minutes the fish will achieve tender perfection, and there it will stay as you take your time to ready the rest of the meal. This technique will keep the fish tender even if it stays on the stove for a while.
When ready to serve, pour everything onto a warm serving platter and garnish with the remaining basil.
Notes
Reprinted with permission from Italy by Ingredient: Artisanal Foods/Modern Recipes Copyright © 2023 by Viola Buitoni. Photographs copyright © 2023 Molly DeCoudreaux. Published by Rizzoli Books.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: swordfish
