Indonesian Grilled Swordfish

As promised, we made swordfish tonight!  The first seafood experiment on my list has now been checked off.  Swordfish is one of those ingredients that I feel is unfairly maligned.  Swordfish, when cooked properly, can be really delicious.  When overcooked it takes on the consistency and dryness of an overcooked pork chop.  Swordfish is so meaty and yet it lacks a ton of fat to keep it moist, which means that it dries out easily.  So I don't order (or buy) it often, but every once in awhile I do indulge.  I have another swordfish recipe for Sicilian-Style Swordfish I want to try, but that is going to have to wait until next time.  This time we went for a Indonesian Grilled Swordfish recipe from Ina Garten.  I'm not certain Ina Garten is an authority on Indonesian food, but thus far we have had a lot of luck with her recipes so I am willing to try it out.  And how can you go wrong with a marinade of ginger, garlic, soy?

The answer is - you can't.  Well, I guess you can go wrong but we didn't here.  My only warning is to be cautious with the kosher salt.  Otherwise you could end up with some seriously salty fish.  Marinating the fish overnight in soy tenderizes it and lends it a lot of flavor so you don't need a ton of additional salt.  It didn't have a ton of distinctly Asian flavor to it, but given that the marinade had Dijon mustard and lemon juice in it, I didn't really expect the flavors of the dish to scream Asian.  But with that said, I liked the recipe.  Alex did too since he said it was tasty.  As with most of the recipes that we cook on a grill pan rather than on a grill, it would be better if actually grilled to give it that smokey flavor, but what can you do? 

Recipe after the jump!

Indonesian Grilled Swordfish

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

By Ina Garten

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup canola or peanut oil, plus extra for brushing the grill pan or grill

1 tsp grated lemon zest

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp minced or finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 (10 oz, 1-inch thick) swordfish steaks

kosher salt

lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

Combine soy sauce, canola, lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, garlic and mustard in a bowl.  Place the swordfish in a large resealable plastic bag and cover with marinade.  Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours to overnight, turning the swordfish over once to ensure even marinating.

If you are using a grill, 30 minutes before you're ready to serve build a charcoal fire or heat the gas grill.  If you're using a grill pan, heat the pan over moderate heat.  Brush the grate of the grill or the grill pan with oil to keep the fish from sticking. Remove fish from the marinade, discarding the marinade.  Season fish on both sides with salt.  Cook for 4 minutes on each side, just until it's no longer pink in the middle.  Place on a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. 

Serve hot or warm with lemon wedges.