Secrets of the swordfish

FISH FEATURE

TASTE / TEXTURE PROFILE

Swordfish has a mildly sweet flavour and a moist, meaty texture with moderately high-fat content. The flesh can range from white or ivory to pink or orange. The colour variations do not reflect quality.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Swordfish provides an excellent source of selenium, a micronutrient that offers important cancer-fighting and heart health benefits. It is protein-rich and loaded with niacin, vitamin B12, zinc and Omega-3. Best of all, it’s low in fat and calories.​

PREFERRED COOKING METHODS

Swordfish cooks similarly to meat. It’s dense and very versatile but still cooks up moist. I typically like to cook my swordfish similar to my steaks. I pan sear on high for a couple of minutes to get a nice brown crust, then I finish in the oven for 8-10 minutes depending on thickness. Typically you want swordfish to be cooked through but it does have a bit of flexibility between undercooked and overcooked. 

As for flavour profiles, again swordfish is quite versatile. Due to its mild flavour and meaty texture, it pairs well with most flavours. You can go Mediterranean or Asian, or keep to more typical seafood flavours like lemon and dill.  Swordfish even goes well with Cajun spices. 

FISHERMONGER TIPS

Make sure your swordfish has the bloodline removed, if it hasn’t been, you’ll want to remove it as it can have a very fishy flavour and can spoil the taste of the meal. 
​
Swordfish can be high in mercury and should not be eaten for every meal. That said, in Canada, we are very good at testing all of our imported fish and anything that has more mercury than we allow (which isn’t much, to begin with), is not put up for sale.