Grilled Swordfish with Cucumber-Melon Salsa Recipe
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Fish on the grill is as summery as it gets. Hearty swordfish won’t flake and fall through the grates, and when paired with a light melon and cucumber salsa it makes for a healthy meal that’s ready in minutes.
What to buy: Avoid imported swordfish, which is in low supply and is usually caught by longline. Instead, go for U.S. swordfish that’s been caught by handline or harpoon. If you can’t find swordfish, try this recipe with tuna, halibut, or mahi mahi.
This dish was featured as part of both our Recipes for Summer Ingredients and our Easy Weeknight Dinners photo gallery.
INGREDIENTS
For the salsa:
- 2 cups peeled English cucumber, small dice (from 1 medium cucumber)
- 1 cup cantaloupe, small dice
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon packed lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the fish:
- Vegetable oil
- 6 (4- to 6-ounce) swordfish fillets (about 2 pounds)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
For the salsa:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large, nonreactive bowl and stir until well coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the fish:
- Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium high (about 375°F to 425°F) or a grill pan over medium-high heat and rub the grill or grill pan with a towel dipped in vegetable oil. Coat both sides of the swordfish with oil and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Place the fish on the grill and cook, undisturbed, until dark grill marks form, about 5 minutes. Turn and grill until the fillets are just cooked through and opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Transfer the fish to individual plates, top each fillet with salsa, and serve.
try a chili sauce on it
Amazingly fresh and simply dish. This turned out fantastic over a Lodge cast-iron single burner grill/skillet indoors. Smoke was a bit of an issue during the searing given that my hood couldn't quite contain the amount it produced, but the result was fantastic! Used ~2 lbs of swordfish and the same salsa measurements to get about 5 meals from this recipe.
A good variation is cucumber-mango salsa, where you replace the melon for mango, the parsley for cilantro, and the lemon for lime. It's SOOO good. I can't wait to try it with salmon. So far I've only had the cucumber-mango salsa with a grilled avocado [cheaper for a college student lol]. You could also add so finely cut jalapeno peppers. I love summer :D!
Try a little hot red chili sauce in the salsa with a bit of honey to tame it down. Delish!
This is absolutely delicious. Tried it tonite but used halibut since it is plentiful right now. The salsa is simply bursting with flavor and is "oh, so summer"! I kicked in two drops of the green Tabasco sauce for a little "oomph". I'll do this one again very soon!
I also loved this recipe, although I replaced the melon with peaches. Excellent!
I love this recipe. Bought some swordfish at Pike Place Market and threw it on the grill with fresh corn on the cob. The melon cucumber salsa was perfect with the grilled fish. I'll definitely do this again.