Grilled Swordfish, Red Quinoa, Green Tomato, Peppers, Black Bean Salsa
Smoky flavors infuse this tender, yet slightly firm, thick white steak lined with deep black rimmed skin.
Today’s Grilled Swordfish, Red Quinoa, Green Tomato, Peppers, Black Bean Salsa may be the most absolute favorite delicious dish I have enjoyed in a long time, and there you have it!
Swordfish is one of those pricey, specialty foods that I don’t often purchase mainly due to the volumes needed when feeding a family. On the other hand, Swordfish is generally not the food delicacy one thinks of as the food splurge for the holidays either, right?
Providing a welcome in a few dimensions, today’s Swordfish was one of the Grand Opening specials at McCaffrey’s, the sensational and gorgeous new food market just opened around the corner in Blue Bell.
It seems it was such a long time coming whenever periodically trudging the side walls draped off for construction while stopping by our local State Store. For those of you who do not live in Pennsylvania, the ‘State Store’ is where one goes to purchase wines and liquors. No, you cannot buy your wine at your local Costco when in Pennsylvania, we’ve a state government system that oversees that. Sigh. Well, actually it has gotten a lot better and folks can even now buy beer, and some wines at select food markets, including McCaffrey’s. Welcome to Blue Bell McCaffrey’s!
Another welcome, was finally the emergence of some tomatoes in the garden. This has not been the banner garden season, or for many in these parts due to weather patterns. On the other hand, Cheri from My Savory Spoon seems to be enjoying a rather prolific garden this season in Oregon, just off the Pacific where she spends her summers, that is, away from the heat of Phoenix, Arizona. We now have a modest crop of ripe red tomatoes plumping juicily forth, but the early on green variety provided a unique, excellent twist in the salsa along with the red quinoa, colorful peppers, and black beans which all combined were a tremendous hit.
The final Welcome today is to me. Welcome Back Me. I’m finally resumed back to normal after the bad fall down the steps of my second story banister a couple weeks back. I’m rather excited to actually feel enthusiastic to sit on the chair at my computer writing today, though as Mary Hirsch from Lights on Bright No Brakes emailed me from Aspen yesterday “It looks as if you “got” the slow down message from whomever above was sending it.” I did.
Each day I’m now making a conscious effort for once in my life take a little time for a break each day, like sitting down for fifteen minutes even to read the newest edition of Southern Living or Sauveur Magazines, instead of letting them pile up for a later time reading frenzy.
Yesterday I enjoyed the summer edition of Modern Farmer with an excellent article “Building a Better Pigpen” by Barry Estabrook author of “Pig Tales: An Omnivore’s Quest for Sustainable Meat.” I’m a huge fan of Estabrook and had the opportunity to meet him surrounding a lecture on his book at the last east coast Big Harvest Potluck held at the working home farm of George Ball CEO of the Burpee company.
I’m also enjoying capturing the bits and pieces on my friend Kelly Rodriguez of A Lovely Life Indeed currently adventuring with Antonio at their summer place in Galicia, Spain before heading on to this year’s added destination, Lisbon, Portugal.
Of course, ‘slow down’ for me doesn’t so much apply when it comes to cooking and so I look forward to continuing to share the bounties of the season from my own kitchen, and I’m sure, plenty of wonderful ingredients, such as Swordfish, made even easier to pick and choose at the new sensational and gorgeous McCaffrey’s market just around the corner,.
Grilled Swordfish, Red Quinoa, Green Tomato, Peppers, Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced, strained
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 half pound each thick Swordfish steaks
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled, smashed, thinly sliced
- couple pinches coarse kosher salt on each filet
- few grinds cracked black pepper on each filet
- For the Salsa:
- 1/2 cup red quinoa
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 orange pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 green tomato, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups drained black beans, seasoned with one tablespoon olive oil, and pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, juiced, strained, plus, additional strained juice of 1/2 lime if desired upon finish
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- a few pinches coarse kosher salt and a few grinds of cracked black pepper for the salsa, more or less to taste
Instructions
- Combine together the lemon juice and olive oil
- Place swordfish steaks into a long glass casserole dish, evenly pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, turn over to coat both sides. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper then scatter over the smashed slivers of garlic, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for one hour turning once in between
- Meanwhile, cook the red quinoa following package directions, let set to room temperature
- In a large glass bowl combine chopped peppers, onion and green tomato, stir to combine then fold through the black beans. Pour in the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper, stir, adjust seasoning, sprinkle in the cilantro and stir throughout. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until assembling dish Generously grease grill grates. Preheat grill, once hot, remove swordfish steaks from the marinade wiping off the garlic, set each piece of swordfish onto the grill, let sear for three minutes then rotate swordfish on an angle to create grill marks, cook another 3 minutes, turn fish over, cover with the grill lid and cook for another 6-7minutes, approximately, until steaks are firmed and cooked within, be careful not to overcook. Remove swordfish from grill and tent with aluminum foil for ten minutes while finishing off the salsa
- Lightly combine red quinoa with the salsa mixture, check seasoning adjusting olive oil, salt, and adding in juice from the additional half lime if desired
- Plate swordfish, top with the Quinoa mixed Salsa.
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