Swordfish Still Life

[Mike Buckley]

I've never seen such a thick slab of swordfish, so I simply had to photograph it. Now I can't wait to eat part of it. This slab is so big that it will make three meals for me and my wife, so I'll freeze two-thirds of it.

Setup
The tabletop and background are different models of vinyl floor tile. A small continuous-light lamp at the height of the tabletop in the left front area lit the front of the food. Another one high on the right lit the top of the swordfish. Eighteen focus-bracketed images at Nikon step size 3 were stacked in Helicon Focus at its default settings.

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[nuclearjock]

One meal for me. ? (Fast metabolism)

 

[jbailey930]

Wow, that is pretty large cut! Like the staging. Hope you worked fast to keep it fresh! Where did that come from? I've been getting our seafood from Wegman's near Dulles.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you to Rick and John!

Where did that come from?

If I accurately understood the manager of the local Safeway, the swordfish that's not prepacked is sent to them that way in a frozen state. He lets it thaw (because his department has no saw) and he then cuts it into a typical thickness, which is one-third as thick as this. He didn't have any swordfish on display and could only provide me with this thick cut and I was thrilled. So, consider asking your Safeway seafood manager if they have something like this in the back and not yet on display.

I've been getting our seafood from Wegman's near Dulles.

Wegman's has a nice selection of seafood but at two to three times the price everyone else sells comparable seafood, I can't justify it.

 

[Louis Champan]

My kind of meal Mike, great shot.

 

[Hylander]

Wonderful colors!

 

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you also to Louie and Bill!

 

[Bohdan]

Oh wow...I could make a meal out of this..Like the tone and colour in this presentation. Nicely done

 

[Binnur]

Great presentation with beautiful colors and lighting Mike.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you also to Bob and Binnur!

 

[Pa]

Looks like the makings of a delicious meal. How will you prepare the swordfish?

 

[Mike Buckley]

How will you prepare the swordfish?

I have two swordfish recipes that call for broiling the fish. One is with an Indian barbecue sauce and I often serve that one with corn on the cob. The other is with a relish of onion, saffron, cilantro, mint leaves, raisins, lemon juice and pine nuts on top of the fish.

I also like to include bite-size chunks of sword fish in seafood pasta dishes and in seafood soups and stews.

 

[Pa]

I have two swordfish recipes that call for broiling the fish. One is with an Indian barbecue sauce and I often serve that one with corn on the cob. The other is with a relish of onion, saffron, cilantro, mint leaves, raisins, lemon juice and pine nuts on top of the fish.

I also like to include bite-size chunks of sword fish in seafood pasta dishes and in seafood soups and stews.

Thanks, Mike. My problem with swordfish is that it tends to be dry and a bit chewy, so simple grilling or pan frying doesn't work well. Your sauces would help with the dryness.

 

[Mike Buckley]

My problem with swordfish is that it tends to be dry and a bit chewy

It's never going to have the same texture that a light, white fish has. In that sense, I can understand why some people would consider it chewy. However, when cooked properly, swordfish should be quite moist and not the least bit dry. My experience is that fish is too often overcooked, which will especially make swordfish dry. If it's dry, that's an indication that it has been cooked either too long or with too much heat, or both.

 

[Mike Buckley]

My problem with swordfish is that it tends to be dry and a bit chewy, so simple grilling or pan frying doesn't work well.

I forgot that I have a recipe that calls for cooking the swordfish on a cast iron grill pan, so I thought of you tonight as I cooked the fish. I heated the pan over high heat until it was almost smoking, then cooked the 1/2"-thick meat 2 1/2 minutes on each side. The fish had beautiful grill marks and was fork-tender and juicy. Indeed, there were no knives at the supper table.

I cooked it using my modification of the following recipe: https://www.winemag.com/recipe/grilled-swordfish-recipe/

 

[Palouse]

I've "learned" to cook it over high heat, heavy steel/cast iron pan and flip every 30-40 seconds for about 5 minutes. Retains moisture but prevents meat from getting mushy.

 

[Pa]

I forgot that I have a recipe that calls for cooking the swordfish on a cast iron grill pan, so I thought of you tonight as I cooked the fish. I heated the pan over high heat until it was almost smoking, then cooked the 1/2"-thick meat 2 1/2 minutes on each side. The fish had beautiful grill marks and was fork-tender and juicy. Indeed, there were no knives at the supper table.

I cooked it using my modification of the following recipe: https://www.winemag.com/recipe/grilled-swordfish-recipe/

Sounds good, though I would want it more done than that recipe describes.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I would want it more done than that recipe describes.

Me too. That's why I cooked a piece of fish that is 1/2" thick almost as long as the recipe says to cook a piece that is 1" thick.