Neapolitan Pasta With Swordfish

By Florence Fabricant

Published March 19, 2019

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(315)
Comments
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The lusty foods and intense wines of southern Italy provide inspiration to spare for cooks and connoisseurs. San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, succulent olives, tender pastas and fragrant olive oils, alone or combined, spell sheer enjoyment. The roots of red-sauce Italian, ever popular in the United States, are in the south — in Campania and Naples (its capital city) as well as in Puglia and Basilicata. This recipe is a riff on the traditional pasta alla puttanesca, with tomato, capers, olives and garlic, but without the anchovies. The recipe goes bigger on the fish front, with chunks of seared swordfish to bolster the mixture with meaty, briny notes.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 ¼ pounds swordfish steaks, skin removed, in ¾-inch cubes

  • Salt and ground black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons capers in vinegar or salt, large ones if possible, rinsed and dried

  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

  • 1 ½ cups canned San Marzano tomatoes, chopped

  • 18 pitted Kalamata olives

  • 1 pound short pasta like casarecce, cavatelli, strozzapreti or penne

  • Grated zest of 1 lemon

  • 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

61 grams carbs; 62 milligrams cholesterol; 526 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 18 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 585 milligrams sodium; 29 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

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

    Place a large sauté pan (4 quarts or more) on high heat, add 3 tablespoons of the oil and when it’s mighty hot (a piece of fish should sizzle) add the swordfish, spreading the pieces around in the pan in a single layer. Sear about 30 seconds until just starting to brown. Use a spatula to turn the fish, and cook another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium.

  2. Step 2

    Add another tablespoon of the oil and the capers and cook a couple of minutes until the capers start to crisp and brown. Turn the heat to low, stir in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until it barely starts to color. Add the tomatoes and olives. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to combine the flavors, then turn off the heat. While the tomatoes are simmering bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Remove 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the sauté pan.

  3. Step 3

    Reheat the pasta in the sauce on medium-low heat, folding everything together with a big spoon. Add a half cup or more of the pasta water to give the tomatoes a nice saucelike consistency, stirring until the pasta is well coated. Gently fold in the swordfish and the lemon zest, and stir until you have everything well mixed and heated through. Add more pepper if you wish; the mixture is not likely to demand salt. Transfer to a warm serving dish, scatter parsley on top and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
315 user ratings
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Comments

Marianna P

This sauce was really good but I had a few issues with the quantities in the recipe. 1lb of pasta is WAY too much for the amount of sauce the recipe makes. I used 12oz of pasta and that was still too much and I didn’t end up having enough sauce. I also don’t like that the recipe says to cube the swordfish. Next time I make this I’m gonna sear the swordfish steaks whole and then shred them up before throwing them back in the sauce so that the fish can mix with the sauce more uniformly.

Mike M

Best meal of 2019 so far. Subbed scallops for swordfish and a ton of torn basil for parsley. Added anchovy paste and healthy pinch of crushed red pepper w/ garlic. About half a cup /- of pasta water in sauce. Don’t rinse the the olives. Their vinegar brings a great flavor.

Gary Schons

Great recipe but needed a bit of a kick which was supplied by red chilie pepper flakes.

Kate

Sauce was yummy. I agree with the commenter about searing the fish without chopping it into pieces. Also, did not chop the tomatoes as it is much easier to just break them and fish down with a spatula. I had mixed olives so used them and substituted basil for parsley. The detail about the pasta water and is an authentic way to change the consistency if it’s too thick. I used 1/2 lb of penne but could’ve added a few more ounces for a perfect fit of sauce to pasta. This beauty is that this is fast, easy and delicious.

kimberly

If we are just searing the fish, is the intention that it will finish cooking once we add it to the sauce?

Nic

cut the past in half and added 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper which made it spicy - was a big hit!

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