There should be more Swordfish Tacos in the world! Yesterday was an oddball day where it was just me home alone for dinner. You wouldn’t believe all the possibilities that rolled through my head when it came to what I should have for dinner. I was leaning really hard towards picking up some sushi or making a curry, and then out of the blue I decided I wanted to make tacos. I wanted some kind of fish/seafood taco, so as I made my way through the grocery store I added just a few things to my basket to complete the tacos. The fish counter made me pause though. I was expecting something to just jump out at me… I looked everything over, and was leaning towards the shrimp for a minute, but then I saw the swordfish. It has been a long time since we had swordfish, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought swordfish would make a fabulous taco. I chose my steak and headed for home and the grill. And the computer- I was hoping to find a really good recipe.
Except that I didn’t! Searching my favorite websites surprised me, as I found three lone recipes for swordfish tacos, and none of them really sounded great. I knew it shouldn’t be complicated, but it also shouldn’t be simply pico de gallo and swordfish. So I did what anyone else would have done. I went through the pantry, fridge, garden gleanings and my just bought grocery items and put together an amazing dinner.
I apologize to my family- especially my husband because this meal was absolutely incredible. I almost felt bad that I was eating it myself. Almost.
I started with the grill. I peeled two ears of fresh sweet corn and grabbed a bunch of scallions. I turned two burners onto high and literally put the corn and scallions right over the fire. I wanted charred corn and charred scallions. My bunch of scallions was small- there were only five- and in retrospect I wish I’d had two bunches.
Next, into a small bowl I diced up three smaller heirloom tomatoes, a good handful of cilantro, and then added the juice of half a lime. I also added a pinch of sea salt and a grind of pepper, and then looked at the hot peppers I had sitting on the counter. I settled for an Aji Cristal pepper- by all means use a jalapeno if you want- and finely chopped that to bits and added that to my bowl. I checked the corn, flipped it, and found the scallions nicely charred. You really do want them pretty blackened- the flavor of a charred scallion is amazing- and is really what takes this salsa over the top. I gave the scallions a minute to cool, and then used my knife to chop them up and added them to my bowl.
Finally, the corn was ready, so I scraped the kernels off the cobs and added that to the bowl as well. Wow! Charring the sweet corn and the scallions gave the whole salsa a smoky depth that was incredible.
I set this aside while I prepared my swordfish. I took a bit of Cajun seasoning, sea salt, pepper, and ground cumin and mixed them together. Then I drizzled the swordfish with olive oil and rubbed on the seasonings. I threw that on the hot grill and gave it about 4 minutes per side. My steak was a good inch thick, and I did want it cooked all the way through. If you prefer your swordfish to have some translucence in the middle, go for it, but I wanted it cooked all the way through. I did take a picture of the swordfish once it was done, but my camera strikes again with an unrecognizeable file format. I wish I knew why it did that!
The final pieces of this meal were very easy to add in. I thinly sliced up a bit of green cabbage- because I love the crunch that adds to fish tacos, and then I also sliced up an avocado and tossed that with a little extra lime juice. While my swordfish rested, I set to toasting up my corn tortillas.
The tortillas with the most black on them were the tastiest of the bunch. And it really is as easy as it looks. I turn on the gas burner and toss the tortilla right on the grate. Flip it a few times and then put it on a plate while you do the next one. Obviously, I could have done this on the gas grill outside as well- and if you don’t have a gas stove, you can put them under your broiler with good results as well.
When all was said and done, I made up four tacos for myself. I had half a pound of swordfish and used most of it in the tacos. Corn tortillas make small tacos, so I didn’t feel like I was overdoing it. But I’ll tell you, I enjoyed every single bite. Swordfish is the perfect fish for tacos! It’s so meaty and hearty- it holds up perfectly and was just absolutely delicious. When the tacos were gone, I got out the tortilla chips and scooped up some of the remaining salsa with a few chips. The recipe below will serve 2 people, depending on appetites. I had plenty of extra salsa. Half a pound of swordfish per person is probably a good guideline- for me that was one smaller sized steak. And seriously- make this while you can get all these veggies fresh from the farmer’s market. All told, it sounds like there were a lot of steps, but this meal was ready in under 20 minutes, so it would also be a quick weeknight meal.
Swordfish Tacos with Charred Scallion and Corn Salsa
2 ears of sweet corn, peeled one bunch of scallions, rinsed and patted dry 2-3 smaller heirloom tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups of tomato) 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1 hot pepper, finely chopped juice of half a lime 1/8 teaspoon salt freshly ground pepper to taste 1 cup finely shredded cabbage 1 avocado, diced or sliced 6-8 corn tortillas, toasted For the Swordfish: 2 swordfish steaks 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (I used a hot one) 1 teaspoon olive oilGet an outdoor gas grill fired up on high. Place the corn and the scallions right over the fire. After about three minutes, check on them and give them all a flip. Another two minutes later, the scallions should be nicely charred- remove them from the grill and rotate the corn if needed. Continue roasting the corn until you have some nicely blackened bits on all sides of the corn. Remove from the grill- keep the grill going for the swordfish.
Combine the tomatoes, cilantro, hot pepper, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Chop the scallions the best you can with a chef’s knife- they will be soft and squishy, just do what you can and add them to the bowl. Next, use a knife to remove the corn kernels from the cobs and add those to the bowl as well. Toss the salsa until nicely combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
For the swordfish, combine the salt, pepper, cumin and Cajun seasoning in a small dish. Drizzle the olive oil over the swordfish, and then sprinkle on the seasonings. Rub them all over the swordfish steaks.
Put the steaks on the grill, still going on high. Close the top and give them 3-4 minutes before turning them over. The swordfish cooks quickly- if you want some translucence in the middle, flip them at 2 minutes. Close the top again, and in 3-4 minutes, the swordfish will be cooked through. Remove to a plate and let rest for five minutes.
Slice the swordfish into pieces and divide among the toasted tortillas. Next, add a few pinches of shredded cabbage to each taco, followed by the salsa and the avocado slices. Serve immediately.