Barbequed Swordfish with Black Olive-Cucumber Salad

Swordfish is one of the few fish that genuinely thrives on a hot grill, and this Mediterranean-inspired preparation treats it the way it deserves. The fish gets brushed with a quick barbecue glaze of tomato sauce, balsamic, sugar, and red pepper flakes, which caramelizes in seconds over high heat and builds beautiful char.

The cucumber and olive salad is not a garnish, it is half the dish. Gaeta olives (small, purple-black Italian olives with a mellow, fruity flavor) anchor the salad; their gentle brininess plays nicely with the sweeter plum tomatoes and cool cucumber. Waiting to salt until the last moment is critical, salt draws water from cucumber and tomato fast and turns the salad watery.

The chive vinaigrette is a bright third element that ties everything together. Blending Dijon mustard with red wine vinegar and olive oil creates a stable emulsion that drizzles across the plate without pooling, and the chopped chives add green freshness that echoes the garden-herb salad below.

Three minutes on the first side and four more on the second, all over hot coals, is the target timing for a typical swordfish steak. Over that and the fish turns chalky and dry, as unforgiving as chicken breast.

Chef Tips

• Pat the swordfish bone-dry before glazing; wet fish steams on the grill instead of searing
• Use a clean, well-oiled grate to prevent the fish from sticking; a dirty grill is where steaks tear in half
• Gaeta olives are ideal but Kalamata or Nicoise work beautifully; avoid canned California black olives which are flavorless
• Add the second ounce of barbecue sauce during the last few minutes; longer cook chars the sugar to bitter blackness

Variations

• Swap swordfish for tuna, mahi-mahi, or even a thick salmon filet; all grill similarly
• Stir in crumbled feta to the cucumber salad for a more Greek lean
• Serve with grilled pita or saffron rice to soak up the chive vinaigrette