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Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Caper Butter

Name: Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Caper Butter
Prep time: 9 min
Total time: 1 h 4 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: swordfish steaks — 400 g; olive oil — 41 g; salt — 7 g; black pepper — 4 g; unsalted butter — 82 g; capers — 30 g; lemon zest — 15 g; lemon juice — 44 g; garlic — 6 g; flat-leaf parsley — 7 g

Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon Caper Butter reads citrus 6.8, richness 6.2 and umami 5.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American main, about 1 hr 4 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.3 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 8.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.8 · Richness 6.2 · Umami 5.6 · Sourness 5.3 · Salinity 4.3 · Allium 3.6 · Marine & Briny 2.9 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Floral 2.0 · Fruity 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Bitterness 1.5 · Nutty 1.3 · Smoke 1.1 · Heat 0.9 · Sweetness 0.9 · Earthy 0.6

What's in it (10)

swordfish steaks — 400 g
olive oil — 41 g
salt — 7 g
black pepper — 4 g
unsalted butter — 82 g
capers — 30 g
lemon zest — 15 g
lemon juice — 44 g
garlic — 6 g
flat-leaf parsley — 7 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 4 min (9 min active) · effort: medium

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

Make the compound butter: in a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the capers, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt until evenly combined.
Scrape the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into a small log, and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes (this can be done up to 3 days ahead).
Pat the swordfish steaks dry and brush both sides with the olive oil.
Season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper, then let the steaks sit at room temperature while the grill heats, 15-20 minutes.
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high, about 450°F, and scrape and oil the grates well.
Place the steaks on the grill and cook undisturbed until well-marked and they release easily from the grates, 4-5 minutes.
Flip and grill the second side until the flesh is opaque throughout and an instant-read thermometer reads 137-140°F at the center, 3-4 minutes more; it will carry over to a safe 145°F as it rests.
Transfer the steaks to a plate and rest 5 minutes.
Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over the steaks, top each with a coin of the chilled compound butter, and serve as soon as the butter begins to melt.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Grilled Whole Trout with Lemon and Herbs — American
Fiesta Baked Salmon — Fusion
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato — Portuguese
Salmon Piccata with Capers — Italian-American
Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi — Italian-American

Keep reading: what citrus, richness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.