Olive Oil Poached Swordfish

During my weekly perusal of the grocery store ads I noticed that swordfish was on sale. Thankfully, on our recent family vacation/reunion on the east coast, my somewhat picky husband realized that he really liked swordfish, saying it tasted “just like steak!” So I knew that I would add swordfish to my menu this week. Ok, so one task down, but how to prepare it?


I usually have done grilled swordfish, which is really nice, but I just didn’t feel like getting out (cleaning) my grill pan. I came across a recipe I had seen before and just hadn’t tried, Olive Oil Poached Swordfish with White Corn, Guanciale, and Chive Oil from Bon Appétit September 2010. This sounded like a perfect recipe for a summer dinner!

Guanciale is salt-cured pork jowl, it is similar to pancetta. I had bacon already in the fridge so I just decided to use that instead of getting guanciale or pancetta. I think any recipe that starts out with corn and bacon can’t help but be delicious. So, you just crisp up the bacon and sauté shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes in the bacon fat then add the corn, a little chicken stock and some butter, and that’s it. So simple, yet so perfect! This corn makes a lovely little bed for the swordfish.

For the swordfish, you just heat some olive oil in a pot to 150 degrees and season it with some crushed garlic, rosemary, and lemon slices. When the oil is ready, add the swordfish and put the pan in a 350 degree oven until it is firm to the touch and just cooked.

The fish ends up just delicious, and you could do it with other firm fish as well. The flavor is so delicate and paired with the smoky sweet corn and the fresh chive oil-could there be a better summer meal?