Lemon Pepper Swordfish

My grandparents had a swordfish mounted above the sofa in their living room. It was a trophy. And a reminder of all the family deep-sea fishing adventures. I went once. Caught an impressive Mahi Mahi and proudly served it to my parents for dinner that night.  Then my fishing days were over. I was much more interested in the cooking and eating than the hunt.

Swordfish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that helps the body heal inflammation. It also contains the important micronutrient selenium. Selenium allows the body to maintain proper thyroid function and has been shown to play a role in combating heart disease. Many people avoid the larger game fish from fear of the high mercury content. Although when selenium and mercury are found together they bind, which prevents the body from absorbing mercury. And a few studies have even found that selenium neutralizes other mercury found in the body. Fear not the large fish in the sea! They’re here to help us.

Growing up, we ate fish a couple of times per week and swordfish was one of our staples. My dad would grill the fish and my mom would sauté some fresh veggies with wild rice. Then we’d top is all off with lemon caper butter. It was always one of my favorites. And I continue to associate swordfish with that amazing topping.

I recreated the dish with sautéed yellow peppers, onion and garlic scapes. The rice is omitted but it’s easy to substitute some cauliflower rice. It’s a good vehicle for the butter sauce.

Lemon Pepper Swordfish

Makes 2 servings.

1 lb swordfish steaks

4 tbsp butter

1 yellow pepper (sliced)

1 onion (sliced)

handful of garlic scapes

salt

pepper

1/4 cup capers

juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

►Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

►Grease an 11″x9″ baking dish with 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

►Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.

►Melt butter over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet.

►Add the fish and cook on each side for 2 minutes.

►Transfer the fish to your prepared baking dish and bake for 10 minutes until fish is just done. It will continue to cook a bit once you remove it from the oven.

►In a separate baking dish, toss the yellow peppers, onions and garlic scapes with a tbsp of butter and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Bake on the lower rack in the over for 10 minutes. This can be in the same oven as the fish so everything is ready together.

►For the lemon caper butter, combine 1 tbsp of melted butter, 1 clove chopped garlic, lemon juice and capers. Serve drizzled over the fish.

Tip: My husband gave me the best tip for capers. Throw them in the oven for an hour at 300 degrees and they become a crunchy, salty topping.

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