Grilled Marinated Swordfish Steaks

By Pierre Franey

Updated April 3, 2024

  • Michael Kraus for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(3,942)
Comments
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Swordfish, with its firm, lean flesh, is an ideal candidate for grilling. It's not as forgiving as some fatty fish, like tuna and black sea bass, so proceed with caution. If you remove the fish from the fire when the center is still slightly pink, by the time it gets to the table it should be cooked through. A quick marinade of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, rosemary, garlic, coriander and cumin pairs beautifully with the meatiness of the fish, but do not marinate for more than 10 to 15 minutes, or the acid will break down the flesh and leave it mushy (or the flavor will overpower the fish). If you don't have a grill, this works equally well in a broiler. Serve this alongside a colorful pile of Pierre Franey’s green bean and tomato salad. It's a meal you'll never forget. (The Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood watch list provides up-to-date information on sustainable seafood options here.) Why You Should Trust This Recipe The celebrated French chef Pierre Franey first created this recipe in 1993, and it remains the most popular swordfish recipe on New York Times Cooking. After a career in noted fine-dining kitchens, he began writing The Times’s “60-Minute Gourmet” column in 1976, teaching home cooks how to simply and quickly prepare restaurant-quality dishes.

Featured in: 60-Minute Gourmet

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 center-cut swordfish steaks, about 6 ounces each, one-inch thick

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

  • 4 sprigs rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

3 grams carbs; 112 milligrams cholesterol; 353 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 458 milligrams sodium; 34 grams protein

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat a charcoal grill or broiler, or heat a grill pan.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Place oil in a flat dish, and add soy sauce, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, coriander, cumin, lemon rind and pepper flakes. Blend well. Place fish steaks in marinade, coat well on both sides, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    If the swordfish is to be cooked on a grill (or grill pan), place fish on grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and cook for 3 minutes more. Cook longer if desired. If it is to be cooked under a broiler, place fish on a rack and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve with a string bean salad.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,942 user ratings
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Comments

Randy

Swordfish has a more muscular texture than ahi tuna so cooking it in the same manner will not yield the same silky texture that makes seared ahi so appealing. Swordfish is at its best if cooked briefly in oil + butter over MED heat which will yield a soft succulent texture in the M/MR spectrum.
I sear 3/4 thick steaks of ahi for 1 minute per side on high heat for rare. I sauté 3/4 inch thick swordfish for 2 minutes per side on medium heat for MR. Add aromatics, herbs, etc. for a pan sauce.

David Look

Swordfish can be very chewy when not cooked through. We recommend a temperature closer to well done.

NJR

I used two large (6 inch each) rosemary sprigs and broke them in half. I used them as a bed for the fish on a gas grill. The fish tasted of smoked rosemary. Absolutely wonderful.

Chef Bob

As with any other fish recipe, it's about the freshness. Fresh swordfish doesn't need marinade. To grill a 1-inch thick steak perfectly I brush each side with a thin coat of EVO, salt & pepper, and a sprinkling of paprika. Preheat the grill to 375° and lay the steak diagonally on the grate. After 2-minutes run a spatula under the steak and shift to the opposite angle for about 1-minute to get the cross-hatching. Flip and repeat. The paprika adds a nice rusty gloss to contrast the green beans.

jonas

Loved this marinade. Beautiful and easy.

ordeal

This was delicious! Per comments, I cooked at a medium temperature on grill and reduced coriander and cumin by half. My steaks were a little thicker, so I cooked for 4 minutes per side. Served with lightly steamed asparagus, saffron rice and a 2019 Chablis.

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