Grilled Swordfish Steaks
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Thick swordfish steaks are dried, oiled and seared hard over a two-zone charcoal fire until the crust releases cleanly from the grate. Moving them to the cooler side lets the centre catch up to whatever doneness you like without burning the outside.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Build a two-zone fire. Light a full chimney of charcoal and burn until covered in grey ash, then bank the coals over just one half of the charcoal grate, leaving the other half empty. On a gas grill, turn every burner to high. Set the grate in place, close the lid and let it heat for 5 minutes.
- 2
Scrape and oil the grate. Scrape the cooking grate clean with a grill brush, then wipe the cooking area with a wad of kitchen paper dipped in a little of the oil.
- 3
Dry and oil the steaks. Pat the swordfish steaks very dry with kitchen paper, then brush lightly all over with the remaining oil.
- 4
Sear both sides. Season the steaks all over with the salt, and the pepper if using, then lay them over the hot side of the grill. Cook until the first side is deeply seared and lifts away from the grate on its own, about 5 minutes; if it clings, work a thin metal spatula or the tines of a carving fork gently underneath to free it. Turn and sear the second side the same way, about 5 minutes more.
- 5
Finish to your doneness. Check with an instant-read thermometer. If the crust is ready before the centre is, slide the steaks to the cooler side and keep flipping and rotating every minute or so until they reach 54 °C for medium, 57 °C for medium-well, or 60-63 °C for well done. Serve straight away.
Storage
Swordfish is best served straight off the grill. Refrigerate any leftovers covered within 2 hours and eat within 2 days, reheated gently or flaked cold into a salad. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why this label?
39.3 g protein for 322 kcal = 12.2 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 49% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Sugar-free: 0 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 173 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- charcoal barbecue (or gas barbecue)
- chimney starter
- grill brush
- kitchen paper
- long-handled tongs
- thin metal spatula or carving fork
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 322 kcal |
| Protein | 39.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.2 g |
| of which sugars | 0 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 17.1 g |
| of which saturates | 3.5 g |
| Fibre | 0.1 g |
| Salt | 1.86 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
12.2 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
