Charcoal-Grilled Swordfish Steaks
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 24, 2009
Time
30 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Because of the shape and size of swordfish, individual steaks are quite large. This recipe serves four—or more, if you want to cut the steaks into smaller pieces.
Instructions
- Light a large chimney starter filled with hardwood charcoal (about 6 quarts) and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Build a two-level fire by stacking most of the coals on one side of the grill and arranging the remaining coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the grate heat up, about 5 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean. The grill is ready when the heat level of the stacked coals is medium-hot and that of the remaining coals is medium-low. (See related How to Cook for tips on how to gauge heat level.)
- Cut the swordfish steaks in half to make four equal pieces. Brush the fish with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dip a small wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding the wad with long-handled tongs, wipe the cooking grate (see illustration below). Grill the swordfish, uncovered, turning once (using a metal spatula), over the hotter part of the grill until the steaks are streaked with dark grill marks, 6 to 7 minutes. Move the fish to the cooler part of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning once, until the center is no longer translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges.
Time
30 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
When developing our charcoal-grilled swordfish steaks recipe, our first step was to choose thicker steaks, since thinner steaks overcooked easily, while thicker pieces retained moisture better and were easier to handle on the grill. We found it was important to leave the fish in place long enough so that it developed good grill marks before moving it. A two-level fire was necessary for our grilled swordfish steaks recipe so the fish could sear over the hot fire and then cook through on the cooler part of the grill.
Before You Begin
Because of the shape and size of swordfish, individual steaks are quite large. This recipe serves four—or more, if you want to cut the steaks into smaller pieces.
Instructions
- Light a large chimney starter filled with hardwood charcoal (about 6 quarts) and allow to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Build a two-level fire by stacking most of the coals on one side of the grill and arranging the remaining coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the grate heat up, about 5 minutes. Use a grill brush to scrape the cooking grate clean. The grill is ready when the heat level of the stacked coals is medium-hot and that of the remaining coals is medium-low. (See related How to Cook for tips on how to gauge heat level.)
- Cut the swordfish steaks in half to make four equal pieces. Brush the fish with the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
- Lightly dip a small wad of paper towels in vegetable oil; holding the wad with long-handled tongs, wipe the cooking grate (see illustration below). Grill the swordfish, uncovered, turning once (using a metal spatula), over the hotter part of the grill until the steaks are streaked with dark grill marks, 6 to 7 minutes. Move the fish to the cooler part of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning once, until the center is no longer translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges.
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