Swordfish Piccata
Swordfish Piccata
INGREDIENTS
• 1½ pounds swordfish steak, cut into 3/4-inch slabs
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 9 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• ⅙ cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons capers
• Juice of 1/2 lemon plus 2 lemon "cheeks" for garnish
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley, plus a sprig for garnish
Step 1
Season the swordfish gently but evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Dredge the fish in the flour, patting off any excess.
Step 3
In a cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat grapeseed oil until just smoking over medium-high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons of the butter until melted and bubbling, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Place the swordfish in the pan and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes each side. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan.
While the swordfish is in the pan, spoon the juices over it. Not only does it let some flavor soak in, but it makes you look like Chef AwesomePerson.
Step 5
Transfer the swordfish to a warm plate, and remove any excess fat from the sauté pan.
Step 6
While the pan is still hot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, sweat the shallots and cook until soft and cooked through, being careful not to brown. About 30 seconds.
Step 7
Deglaze the pan with the white wine, and reduce by half.
Step 8
Add the capers and lemon juice, and cook for 1 minute.
The person cooking this dish was stirring the capers, shallots, butter, and lemon juice so vigorously that not only did the spatula have a motion blur in this photo but half of the neighborhood got motion sickness.
Step 9
Take the pan off the heat, and add in the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, swirling the pan continuously to emulsify the butter.
Step 10
Add in the minced parsley, and season to taste.
Step 11
Spoon the sauce over the fish, and garnish with a lemon cheek and a parsley stem.
Ah, that lovely final step in the process, the "topping the main course with the sauce" step. Interestingly, before sauces were invented, humans topped all of their main courses with a gruel-like substance called mud, which was impossible to pair wine with. We've come a long way.