Simple Summer Swordfish

Simple Summer Swordfish

Grilled Swordfish
Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad

How about a simple dinner that is summery, sustainable, super-easy, and super-tasty? Grilled swordfish with a creamy tomato cucumber salad fits the bill.

Grilled Swordfish

Certified sustainable wild-caught swordfish steaks from Whole Foods are excellent. The swordfish is caught in the pristine waters off the eastern shore of Nova Scotia where they work with fourth generation fishermen at a Marine Stewardship Council Certified Fishery. The fish are only caught during peak season, September through November, processed into 5 to 6 oz. portions, then frozen individually.

Place the frozen fish fillets in their packaging in an air-tight baggie. Submerge the baggie in cold water for 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the fish from packaging. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Let fish come close to room temperature. Coat with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cook on the grill over medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes per side.  The packaging says to cook to an internal temperature of 145°F, but many chefs recommend 135°F. Just be sure not to overcook the swordfish.

Creamy Tomato Cucumber Salad

The store-bought buttermilk ranch dressing from Trader Joe’s is perfectly creamy, dilly, and garlicky. No need to make the dressing from scratch when composing this easy-going summer meal!

  • cherry tomatoes – halved
  • persian cucumbers  – quartered lengthwise, then sliced bite-sized
  • red onion – thinly sliced
  • pitted kalamata olives – halved lengthwise
  • fresh dill, chopped
  • buttermilk ranch dressing
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine equal amounts of tomatoes and cucumber in a mixing bowl. Add a lesser amount of onion and olives. Sprinkle with dill. Dress liberally with buttermilk ranch dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Plate

Spoon tomato cucumber salad into shallow bowls. Top with a grilled swordfish fillet and garnish with a sprig of dill.

As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Update

Simple Summer Sea Bass here

Tuscan Kale Soup with Artichoke & Chicken Sausage

tuscan kale soup
Tuscan Kale Soup
Artichoke Hearts & Chicken Sausage
Chicken Broth with Flavored with Fennel Seed & Red Chile Flakes
Served with Toasted Ciabatta

Back in January, a recipe for “Italian Chicken Sausage and Artichoke Soup with Chard” in Sunset magazine caught my interest. Over the past months I’ve added onion, garlic, fennel seed, and red chile flake to the original recipe. And sometimes substitute kale for chard. My procedure is quick and easy, and the synergistic result far exceeds the expectation of boxed chicken broth and canned artichoke hearts.

In less than a half hour, this soup is on the table. I’ve served it as an everyday meal, as a starter to a rustic dinner topped with ricotta salata, and as an elegant first course. This year my Thanksgiving menu has a lighter aura, so this Tuscan Kale Soup will replace the heavier puréed soups of the past.

Continue reading “Tuscan Kale Soup with Artichoke & Chicken Sausage”

White Asparagus, Shaved Avocado, Tarragon Mayonnaise

Peruvian White Asparagus
Shaved Californian Avocado
Tarragon Mayonnaise
I was shopping at Whole Foods Market today for meat to make a very Autumn-Style dish for a big party this weekend: Stout Braised Short Ribs, a two-day process which we will be starting tomorrow morning.
Walking into the produce section, I noticed this big display of asparagus, the quintessential Spring vegetable, right? Turns out this asparagus was from Peru. Where Spring has sprung! In solidarity with my Southern Hemisphere Cooking Compadres, I picked up some asparagus to serve along side a Whole Foods pre-cooked smoked chicken tonight. Their smoked chicken is really good.
White Asparagus

Trim off the end of the asparagus, then shave the entire stalk with a vegetable peeler.

Place shaved asparagus stalks in salted simmering water with a bay leaf. Cook until tender, taste for doneness. This was about 8 minutes. When tender, place asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking, then dry on paper towels.

Mix mayonnaise with finely chopped fresh tarragon, salt and pepper, and a splash of tarragon vinegar. Tonight’s dinner had to be effortless, considering the upcoming party and all the cooking involved. But…
Mayonnaise aficionados might appreciate an “almost effortless” homemade version, compliments of Julia Child, that I paired with fresh swordfish here.

“Mayonnaise is one of the finest and most important sauces in classic cuisine. The shame is that few of us ever taste the kind of fresh handmade mayonnaise that deserves such culinary status – and even dedicated home cooks don’t realize that making their own is a simple process that takes only minutes and, if you use a food processor, almost no effort at all.” Julia Child

Shave a slightly under-ripe avocado into strips with the vegetable peeler. Season asparagus with salt and pepper, ladle tarragon mayonnaise over the center, top with shaved avocado ribbons. Add a tarragon sprig for garnish. This side dish was really simple and quite lovely.
Happy Spring to My Blogger Friends in the Southern Hemisphere!


For more information on Peruvian White Asparagus, please visit Gourmet Trading Company here.