Tastes Like A Celebration
Coriander Crusted Swordfish With Sour Orange Butter Sauce
There’s nothing quite like the heady aroma of freshly ground coriander wafting through the air. It’s blissful scent, heavenly flavor, and delightful crunch makes this a special dish for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1 medium orange blood oranges put a whole different spin on this – a bit sweeter sauce and a beautiful pink!
- 3 tablespoons coriander seed
- kosher salt
- 1 pound fresh swordfish about 3/4 inch thick
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot
- 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- few sprigs of Italian parsley or cilantro for garnish, and some edible flowers if you have them is always a nice touch
- cracked black pepper and/or crushed red pepper to finish
Instructions
- Thinly slice half of the orange in rounds and remove the seeds. Juice the other half, measure out 1/8 of a cup and set aside.
- Crush the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder until coarsely ground. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of it evenly over a plate. Reserve the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons in the mortar.
- Slice the shallot lengthwise thinly and set aside.
- Measure out 1/8 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and set aside.
- Measure out the butter and set aside.
- Rinse and pat dry the parsley or cilantro sprigs.
- Unwrap and pat dry the swordfish, and sprinkle both sides evenly with kosher salt. Then lay the fish onto the coriander evenly pressing it into the flesh to coat the entire surface.
- Heat the frying pan over medium heat and warm the oil. Place the fish coriander side down on the pan and cook for about 4 minutes. Pat most of the remaining coriander carefully and evenly over the side facing you as the other side is cooking. There should be a nice little bit of coriander dust left in the mortar. Leave that for your sauce.
- Flip the fish over after 4 minutes, it should be richly browned and perhaps even a little blackened – we love that char! Cook for an additional 4 minutes unless your piece is a bit on the thick side, then you may need an additional minute or so on each side. Remove it from the pan onto a plate to rest while you make the sauce.
- Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel to remove any burnt or crusty bits, and place it back over a medium burner. Place the shallots in the pan and sprinkle with a little salt. Stir them around and cook for about 2 minutes until they are softened.
- Mix in the orange and lemon juices, then the butter, and reserved orange slices. Wipe out the mortar over the pan to release the coriander dust and cook for about 2 more minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly and the orange slices are just softened.
- Cut the fish in half. Spoon half the sauce on each of two plates, add a piece of fish on top of the sauce on each dish. Arrange the orange slices around or on top of the fish. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, herb sprigs, and edible flowers like Calendula if you have them. Note: Sometimes you get a piece of swordfish that although it looks amazing, ends up being on the mushy side after you cook it. It's hugely disappointing and according to several fish mongers I've asked, sometimes that's just the way swordfish is, cue shoulder shrug. If you don't want to take that chance, this recipe would probably work wonderfully with a nice thick piece of skinned Atlantic salmon, or perhaps even a boneless, skinless chicken breast. You may need to alter the timing though, so see how things firm up after 3 minutes per side.
Love this one Don, and that you can use it with various proteins is a plus! Thank you ! Love the photo too!!
Aw…thanks so much – that’s so sweet of you to say.