Pan-Roasted Swordfish Steak was always a big hit in my restaurant days and I always found different ways to serve this delicious sportfish.
My ginger garlic topping is as flavorful as it is aromatic, and I could count on orders coming in when this dish was served to a nearby table.
One of my latest requests was what to do with swordfish? Swordfish can be a disaster if overcooked and is really a fairly bland fish (if it’s fresh), so you can have fun adding in very flavorful ingredients. Marinating is always an option, but it takes a little more thought and time.
I always have friends ask me, what’s the best way to cook fish? While my favorite way is the simplicity of Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice, there are times that I add additional flavors to spice things up a bit! After all, Variety is the Spice of Life.
What Ingredients do I need to make Pan Roasted Swordfish?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Pan-Roasted Swordfish with Compound Butter. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the up cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious swordfish steak. Butter, fresh Italian parsley, garlic, ginger, lemon peel, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and of course swordfish steaks.
How do I make Compound Butter?
Before you start cooking the swordfish, prepare the compound butter you’ll be using at the end of the preparation.
Compound butter is made by mixing additional elements, such as herbs, spices or aromatic liquids, into softened butter. For my compound butter, I used minced garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, chopped Italian parsley, grated lemon peel, and freshly grated ginger.
You can easily swap out ingredients to change up the compound butter, make it your own and have fun experimenting with the flavors.
Can I save compound butter for later use?
Yes, you can. One of the ways to save compound butter to use in other recipes is by reforming the butter into logs using plastic wrap or parchment paper. That way you can store it until needed. You can also place it into serving crocks for table use.
Remember recipes are guidelines. Add your favorite flavors to make your signature compound butter. Have fun and experiment with the flavors.
**Compound butter can be kept in the refrigerator for up 5 days. Compound butter can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What are Compound Butters good for?
Using compound butter is a great way to spice things up with your cooking. You can use compound butter on fish, chicken, pork, or beef, adding another layer of flavor to your dish.
Compound butter is also a wonderful addition to vegetables, rice, noodles and they taste great on bread.
How do I make Pan Roasted Swordfish Steak?
Now it’s time to get the Swordfish ready. Rinse and pat dry the swordfish with paper towels. Salt the swordfish generously using your favorite sea salt (kosher salt can also be used).
- Place an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and when hot add one tablespoon of olive oil and the swordfish, salted side down. Sear the swordfish for 1-2 minutes or until the seared swordfish has a nice color.
- Turn the swordfish over, and drain out any excess oil from the pan. Carefully add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and place the pan in a preheated 400-degree oven.
**Roast the swordfish until just cooked through, about 6-8 minutes or until desired doneness.
How do I know if the swordfish is thoroughly cooked?
The easiest way to tell if the swordfish is done is by using an instant-read thermometer. The temperature should read 130°F for medium, 135°F for medium-well or 140 to 145°F for well-done.
Another way to tell if your swordfish is thoroughly cooked is by inserting the tines of a fork into the thickest portion of the swordfish at a 45° angle. Gently twist the fork and pull up some of the fish. If it flakes easily, without resistance, the fish is done.
- Transfer the seared swordfish to a serving dish. I like serving my swordfish with wilted spinach, but feel free to use your vegetable or grain.
- Add seasoned butter mixture to the same skillet. Allow it to cook slightly over medium-high heat until melted and bubbling (1-2 minutes).
Spoon the seasoned butter over top of the cooked swordfish and serve with your favorite side dishes. My Pan-roasted swordfish is seared in a pan and finished in the oven just like we did in the restaurant!
*You can do this fish in the oven for the entire cooking process, but I do like to sear the swordfish before finishing in the oven. You can also add the butter directly to swordfish before it goes in the oven instead of cooking the compound butter in a pan.
**This swordfish can also be prepared on the gas grill. Use a saute pan on the grill to cook the topping and add the grilled swordfish to the pan to serve.
What other fish can I use instead of Swordfish?
Compound butter is a wonderful way to enhance any fish that may be on the drier side. Tuna, shark, mahi-mahi, and red snapper are also good choices. But truth be told compound butter is a delicious way to dress up your favorite fish. My wife loves it with flounder.
Who’s ready for dinner? My pan-roasted swordfish is perfect for date night or entertaining.
Recipe FAQ’s
Overcooking any fish is an easy way to ruin it. Swordfish is not as forgiving as salmon, so it’s important to cook swordfish to medium well, cooked to the point where it is just cooked through but still remains juicy.
Swordfish is an excellent source of selenium, a micronutrient that offers cancer-fighting and heart health benefits. It’s protein-rich and loaded with niacin, vitamin B12, zinc and Omega-3. It’s also low in fat and calories which makes swordfish a guilt-free choice. when it comes to seafood.
My thoughts are a quick rinse for any fish under cold running water is always a good thing to do. Pat the rinse fillet dry with paper towels before seasoning and cooking.
Jennifer
Fish and compound butter turned out great. Thank you!
Evie
WOW! I had bought a $30 swordfish steak (14 oz) and was scared it would turn out tough, like EVERY swordfish I’d ever made in the past. Found this recipe and I will never cook swordfish any other way! All through dinner, we were saying OMG! and WOW! and “I can’t believe how good this is!” The garlic, ginger, and red pepper weren’t overpowering, the mix of flavors perfect – and I rarely find a recipe that needs no tweaking. Did suffer a little burn on my thumb when I forgot that the pan melting the butter had just come out of the oven, but WORTH IT! So tender and moist. Ten stars!!!
Geoff Clauss
This is a wonderful and wonderfully simple recipe. After finding it, I have used it both for family dinners as well as for guests.
Prior to using it, I was not a fan of sword fish. Now, it’s one of my favorite dishes.
Susan
Delicious! Used lime peel instead of lemon; worked great. Smart way to keep the swordfish nice and moist w delicious seasoning
Lisa T
Fantastic recipe – thank you!
Danielle J
Thank so much for this recipe, Chef Dennis! Really glad I found your website, I’ll be following along 🙂
Shav
Can I use this recipe with another fish? Like maybe snapper or grouper?
Chef Dennis Littley
you sure can. It’s a delicious topping for just about any fish.
Tammy Shannon
I mean really why could you not use any fish you like? What a funny question.
Chef Dennis Littley
we take for granted a lot of things that people new to cooking don’t know
Cathy
We really enjoyed the swordfish recipe. We are renting a place in CA that doesn’t have frying pans that can go in the oven. I cooked the fish (approx 1 inch) on level 6 gas, 5 minutes on one side then 3 minutes on the other side. Rested the fish while the butter mixture melted. The fish was moist throughout. It was perfect and delicious. Thank you.
Connie Henriquez Kimmel
AMAZZZZZING!!! SOOO DELISH!! ~~thank youuuu!!
Scraps
This was easy to make and very tasty. A great fast meal for busy people. We had an extra serving of the steak but the sauce was sufficient for all 3 portions.
PennyF
The absolutely best swordfish ever I have made it several times for family and friends. My Mom doesn’t really like fish but she loves this recipe. Thank you for making my everyday cooking easier.
Janette
Never cooked swordfish before and used this recipe and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I have used this recipe numerous times since! Love it! Just remember that when you put the pan in the oven and take the pan out to put the butter in…remember to use a pot holder or oven mitt!
RuthAnne Cupps
I made this recipe for my husband’s lunch today. He said the fish was tough… what did I do wrong? Or is this fish naturally tough? I made only 1 swordfish steak, following your recipe as written… I timed the pan sear and then timed the oven time… however, I only cooked the steak in the oven for 5 minutes at 400°.
Chef Dennis Littley
the only reasons fish would be tough is from overcooking, or if the fish had been previously frozen and refrozen causing the fish to lose moisture. The other reason is the fish was cut from a large swordfish, when they get too big the meat will be tough
So
This was yum, perfect flavor and doneness, and easy. I’ve followed quite a few of your recipes and interesting techniques. Thanks for sharing this!
Elle
This is so good! Restaurant quality. First attempt at cooking swordfish was a few weeks ago. Didn’t turn out great. Thought I’d try one more time with a different recipe. I’m so glad I found this recipe. Fish was a nice crisp on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside. Bonus- it’s quick and easy to put together.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the swordfish! I hope you find more recipes to try
Priscilla
Just wanted to express my gratitude for your sharing such wonderful recipes. Tonight was our first experience preparing or eating swordfish. The recipe was absolutely amazing. The butter sauce enhanced our roasted asparagus. Will definitely enjoy this recipe on a regular basis. I have several of your recipes bookmarked for next week’s menu and my market list prepared!
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome Priscilla, you made my day with your comment and I hope you find more recipes to try and enjoy!
Mama Beasley
Amazing! We cooked a 16oz filet and it was absolutely perfect. Thank you for the recipe we’ll use over and over again!