Swordfish with Braised Endives

30. November 2006 Fish 0

The Dr. was on call so I knew I had time to make dinner before he comes back from the hospital. I stopped by the Blue Moon fish stand at the farmers’ market on my way to work and bought a couple of swordfish steaks. I’ve been buying fish from them because they also give me fish heads for free to make stock. Lately, I go up and check what’s on their blackboard and buy the kind I’ve never cooked before. We caught a swordfish when we were vacationing in Panama but we let the bugger go because he was so small. Notorious for being elusive, it’s a good fish to catch for sport. The FDA warns about high amounts of methylmercury in them so it’s been adviced not to eat them more than one serving a week. But oh, they make an excellent dinner with a bottle of white wine and they can make a very tired doctor happy.

Ingredients:
2 swordfish steaks, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
2 bulbs of endive, leaves separated
6 slices of bacon
a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar
parsley, finely chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Marinade swordfish in a shallow dish with the garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. Make sure the fish is well-coated. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
2. Braise endives in the meantime. In a deep skillet, bring 1 cup of water, butter, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper to a simmer. Add endive in one layer and braise them, covered, turning wedges over once in a 10-minute period. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high, then cook until all of liquid is evaporated and endive is caramelized, about another 6 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate.
3. Place swordfish on a baking sheet with the tomatoes and broil in the oven for about 20 minutes or until fish is tender and cooked through, turning over once. Place on top of the endives.
4. Cook bacon in a skillet until golden brown and crispy while the fish is in the oven. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and drain. Chop roughly and sprinkle all over fish with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.

Related post/s:
What the FDA says about swordfish
Buy fish from the Greenmarket