Pan-Roasted Swordfish 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 and Pepper, 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.
Before you start cooking the swordfish, prepare the compound butter you’ll be using at the end of the preparation.
How do I make Compound Butter?
Compound butter is made by mixing additional elements, such as herbs, spices or aromatic liquids, into softened butter.
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?
Now it’s time to get the Swordfish ready. Rinse and pat dry the swordfish with paper towels. Salt the swordfish.
Place an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and when hot add one tablespoon of olive oil and the swordfish, salted side down. Pan sear the swordfish for 1-2 minutes or until it 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.
Transfer 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.
**You can do this fish in the oven for the entire cooking process, but I do like the Pan Roasting Method for some foods for swordfish. You can also add the butter directly to swordfish before it goes in the oven instead of cooking the compound butter in a pan.
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 a compound butter is a delicious way to dress up your favorite fish. My wife loves it with flounder.
Who’s ready for dinner? This is perfect for a date night or entertaining.
More Seafood Recipes You’ll Love!
- Blackened Salmon with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
- Pan-Seared Halibut
- How to Poach Mahi-Mahi (or your favorite fish)
- Grilled Atlantic Rockfish
Ginger-Garlic Pan Roasted Swordfish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger grated
- ⅕ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon lemon peel grated
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces swordfish fillets should be 6-7 ounces each
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl blend together the butter, parsley, garlic, ginger, red pepper and lemon peel.
- Season the swordfish to taste with sea salt.
- Place an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and when hot add one tablespoon of olive oil and the swordfish, salted side down.
- Pan sear the swordfish for 1-2 minutes or until it 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.
- Transfer swordfish to a serving dish
- Add seasoned butter mixture to the same skillet. Allow it to cook slightly over medium-high heat until melted and bubbling (1-2 minutes).
- Pour butter sauce over swordfish and serve with your favorite side dishes
Notes
Nutrition
Agnes
Easy healthy recipe! Thank you
Kate
Really yum… so easy!
Sarah
We can’t eat butter, so I used just olive oil to create a paste for fish and baked it at 400 with foil cover for 20 minutes. Served over rice vermicelli and a side of roasted snowpeas and zucchini (seasoned with five-spice chinese mix, a little rice vinegar and soy sauce and cashews. Fantastic! Next time I’m going to double fish seasoning and toss in cooked vermicelli into juices as a bed for fish on top. Delectable!
Gwen
Delicious! I cut the swordfish steaks on the thinner side and skipped the baking part. Everyone in the house enjoyed this.
gpop
going to try your recipe
Julie
I’ve made this twice so far. Perfect flavors each time. Thanks chef!
Eric Redstone
Made this last night. Ignored the oven part (too hot) and just gave it a little extra pan time. Super simple and delicious.
Gary H
Easy to get together, and cook. I added some home grown fresh basil finely chopped to the herb mixture as listed here, but otherwise followed the recipe. My swordfish steaks were about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, so cooking time was shorter, about 7 after browning on stovetop in an oven-safe Le Creuset cast iron pot. Delicious with spinach and a sweet potato. Next time will add a nice Chardonnay (on the side, of course!)
Laurie Buckman
Is the calorie count/nutritional facts for both portions or per serving?
Thanks!!
Chef Dennis Littley
its per serving and is just an estimate based on the ingredients,
Mike Mann
1 inch steaks cooked 3 mins side one flipped and put in oven for 6.5 minutes before back on stove. Was cooed perfectly. Added ground pepper to sf steaks and Added green onions a 1/4 tsp of basaltic and drop
Of honey into the compound butte which all reduced before serving. Delicious!
Vic
This was excellent!
Jeremy Fields
I just made this tonight and I cannot our into words how amazing it tasted. I saw a piece of swordfish at gelson’s the other day and found your recipe. I will be checking out more of your fantastic food creations. It was top notch.
Heidi
First time making swordfish at my husbands request; this is now a favorite among our family even my 5 year picky sister ate some.
Keeping in my recipe book.
JILL MERRILL
This was excellent. Even my picky eater husband liked it. I just overcooked Slightly, might try 6-8 minutes in oven next time.
Sandi Schwartz
Awesome. Followed recipe. First time I enjoyed home prepared swordfish. I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes. Cooking for one is sometimes a challenge, but no problem with seafood. Thanks
DIANNE
EXCELLENT! NOTHING BETTER THAN GARLIC AND GINGER WITH THE 🌶 …JUST PERFECT AND EASY TO MAKE.
Carmen Cifuentes
Magnificent and so easy to make
Nayara
It came out so good! Thank you for the recipe.
Neil Rogall
Very good though, I used benecol spread for the sauce – butter is a death wish and doubled the Chili and ginger. Very tasty quick preparation for swordfish on a cold coronaviral London night. Keep safe, isolate
Cecilia
Delicious dish. The fish came out just right – tender and moist – at 2 (stovetop) and 8 minutes (oven). Marinade was perfect – I added more parsley but all else was according to recipe.
Clive
Thanks for the recipe … I substituted red pepper with Sichuan peppercorn and used black garlic for an extra kick!
Love Thy Cookie
Yummy!!! I used homemade ghee in place of the butter. I will be using this for other fish.
Mary Cobb
Awesome recipe!
Ana
I happened upon this recipe on a quick search for a recipe. There’s no doubt I’ll make it again. Fantastic! Subbed cilantro since it’s what I had on hand.
Crystal
5 star!
First time EVER, in 21 years of marriage that my husband said “Wow, this is fabulous. 5 star resturant dish babe”. And, that was with ground ginger. Next time I will pick up fresh ginger and really blow his socks off. You are my new go to for seafood recipes!
I paired this with roasted asparagus and roasted tomatoes with olive oil, red pepper, salt, minced garlic, parmesean, and a splash of lemon.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank for such a nice comment Crystal, I hope you find more of recipes to enjoy!
John Henderson
I have used this recipe of yours 3 times already and it is now our favourite way of eating swordfish. I have also modified the recipe slightly and reduced the cooking time to cook Atlantic Salmon the same way and it is delicious as well. I have taken a copy of your Ginger-Garlic Pan Roasted Swordfish Recipe to the girls at the fish supply shop for them to try out. Thank you Dennis for a fantastic, simple and reliable recipe. Cheers, John and Jacqui Henderson, Whitsundays, Queensland Australia.
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you for the great review and comment John! I’m very happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipe.
Cheers from Orlando, Florida
Tara MacCarthy
Delicious and easy! I had about 40 minutes to get a “special” meal on the table and half-frozen swordfish I had been looking forward to eating all day. (note, thawed fish before cooking)..quick search for recipe brought me here – absolutely perfect for tonight. The balance of flavors in the compound butter was perfect. Cooking times EXACT.
Querino de-freitas
My favourite fish is the swordfish,I cook it different ways, but I enjoyed your oven rendition best.,,I always change things around,I sometimes wrap the pieces in grape vine leaves and bake them greek style..thanks Querino
Joseph Rapoza
Howdy, Best swordfish ever, I will never make it anyway else ever again. Used your recipe to the letter but used about 10oz piece of fish and the times are right on, came out great. Had a baked potato with a big salad, I am a butter freak so I pored the extra seasoned butter over the potato and it was fantastic. This is the first time I have used your site and it will not be the last. Thanks Chef Dennis for a great supper Joey
Couponforless
Good to hear from you over here Dennis. The fish looks delicious.
Michael Grossman
I made this recipe tonight and it was fabulous. Didn’t have fresh parsley so I used fresh green onions and dried celantro. It was my birthday dinner that I cooked for my wife and I. Perfect meal. Wonderful recipe. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you for the comment and great review Michael! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe!
horace
What do you think would happen if you sous vided the swordfish in the butter sauce? Disaster?
Chef Dennis Littley
I have never sous vived anything so I’m not quite sure how it would turn out.
Vinnie P
Wow Dennis this turns out amazing . I’m not a fan of swordfish but this was excellent . I dropped a couple mega jumbo seared shrimp on rop to . Thank a bunch
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Vinnie, I’m with you on swordfish and always try to find delicious ways to serve it. Thanks for the great review!
Martha
My friend made this for me last night, with fresh wild swordfish. That, combined with the nice flavors of the butter and the cooking method, made this a 5-star meal. Great recipe. Will definitely use again for myself and my clients.
Sam
Wow, delicious and fast, perfect for a weeknight —- but it was so tasty, I would serve it for company. The cook times were spot on; definitely saving this recipe. Thanks!!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Sam. I hope you find more of recipes to try in your kitchen.
Julie Soles
This was the most delicious swordfish I’ve ever made and my first posting about any recipe. Thank you!! I can’t wait to checkout your other recipes!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you so much for the comment and great review Julie. I’m hope you find more recipes to try!
Vicki
Absolutely delicious and very easy.
I wasn’t sure what you meant by red pepper “did you mean capsicum”? So I decided to actually use mild fresh chilli and it was a great choice.
A great new swordfish recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
crushed red pepper is a dry spice, but anything you like works too. Making a recipe your own by changing up ingredients is a great way to stay happy in the kitchen!
lety palomares
Hi Chef Dennis,
This recipe looks terrific, I am planning to make it for Christmas dinner. I am thinking to add small pieces of roasted red bell pepper to the compound butter. Do you think this is a good idea? Also, Is it possible to half cook the swordfish and finish the oven part a few hours later?
Thanks so much in advance,
Lety
Chef Dennis Littley
That would be a nice addition. As for precooking yes you can do that but fish cooks so quickly I don’t think I would advise it, you’ll end up overcooking it. The only thing I might do is mark the swordfish on a grill and then finish it in the oven.
Karen
I wanted to make something special for my husband’s birthday (61) and and bought a beautiful swordfish steak, looked up recipes at home and yours appealed to me. I had all fresh ingredients and the prep was simple. We loved it! Definitely a keeper recipe. We may have to make it when the four kids come home for the holidays! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed my recipe Karen. I hope you find more recipes on my site to try!
D. Souza
Delicious, flavorful quick dinner. Even my 16 year old said, “Wow, this is great!” Thank you, Chef Dennis.
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome! Thank you for the comment and great review!
Cynda Schulte
First of all I want you to know I hate fish. I was raised eating catfish we caught every weekend, fried and I grew to hate fish. As I got older I tolerated shrimp and lobster. My college age son loves all fish so I force myself to make it for him, though I never eat it. I changed my mind with this recipe. I dug out my cast iron skillet on put it on my glass top cooktop (gasp) and decided to go for it. I went to my local “Lucky’s” supermarket and picked out a 1 pound 2 inch thick swordfish, a lemon and fresh ginger. The rest I had, fresh parsley growing for the swallowtail butterflies. I will admit, I didn’t measure anything, I just wing it, but I’m sure the clove of garlic was the size of 3. After browning it in the cast iron skillet and baking it I threw it back on the cooktop and added the array of spices with the butter and it all came together. I spooned the buttered spices over and over the top and flipped the steak over and over to absorb the spices in a matter of a couple of minutes. It was perfect! I plated it and decided to be brave and take a bite. Well, I loved it! BTW this is the first time in my life I have ever commented on a recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
Wow Cynda! You have just made my Day with that testimonial! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying my recipe!
Zac
Did you bake it in the cast iron as well?
Missy
My new favorite swordfish recipe! I did use fresh ginger and also…because I like a little kick, added some canceaux sauce! Also, hate to waste lemon, so I squeezed that in also! Cooking time was spot on! Flavors were awesome together! My husband also rated this as an awesome new recipe! Thank you so much!
Lynn McCarthy
LOVE your recipe. Tried this last evening and it was so easy to follow
I browned for approx 3 minutes stovetop and then baked as you directed
And the swordfish was fabulous. Really, the best I’ve ever had. I’m definitely
Going to be following your sites. Thank you.
Cameron Maddux
Excellent preparation. All the ingredients in the butter are perfect together for this fish. Thank you for sharing,
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe Cameron, Thanks so much for the great review and comment!
Amber Forrest
This recipe was absolutely delicious!
I did substitute the fresh grated ginger for ground ginger powder however, the flavor was still on point! I have added this to my cook book and will definitely be making it again!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Amber, and fresh ginger is the best!
Gillian Reddan
Made this beautiful recipe tonight. It was absolutely delicious! I was not a fan of swordfish – my first restaurant experience of it being a very dry and densely textured fish many years ago. My partner liked the look of it in our local fish market so we bought some and I went hunting for a recipe. I thought roasting the fish in the oven would be the way to go, so this recipe seemed to be the best of all I’d read on google. And I wasn’t disappointed. And I loved the compound butter recipe which I believe would go well with other types of fish. Many thanks for posting this superb re ipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you so very much for taking the time to leave such a nice comment! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed my recipe and you’re right that compound butter would work on most fish as well as chicken!
Lauren
Excellent recipe! It turned out lovely
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my recipe Lauren! I have a lot of great seafood recipes, I hope you get to try more.
Denise Green
how long to bake a 2 inch 10.5 ounce steak?
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m not sure I would cook a two-inch thick Swordfish Steak I would split it into 2 one inch thick pieces.
Luana
This recipe was absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
You are very welcome, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Ninfa Tan
Hi chief Dennis
How many minutes should I leave in the oven if I decide
Just to cook in the oven at 400 degrees? Thanks
Ninfa
Chef Dennis Littley
I would oven roast it at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes. Depending on your oven it could be less or more, but try to keep it from overcooking.
Kandi
Mmmm, so tasty! I just made this for my first wver swordfish!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Kandi!
Kimberly H
This was delicious, fresh and I will certainly make again. Key point not to overcook. I would also add a touch more red pepper and lemon next time. (I think I mixed up the quantities)
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for the great review, Kimberly! I hope you find more recipes to try on my blog
heidi
Made it tonight. Doubled the fish and tripled the butter sauce ingredients. Easy, delicious and rave reviews. My new go-to recipe for swordfish
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks so much for letting me know you tried and enjoyed my recipe! I hope you find more delicious recipes to try on my blog!
Andrew Rodney
OMG this recipe is outrageous. I made it tonight, following it to the letter and it was perfect and delicious. This will be my go to sauce for fish and it’s a great technique for cooking the swordfish. Perfect, moist, great flavor. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you so much for taking the time to try my recipe and for leaving such a great comment. You made my day!
Andrew Rodney
Love to try Scallops (large) with this sauce and technique.
Chef Dennis Littley
Scallops don’t have the same density as swordfish Andrew, just make sure to watch your cooking time, it’s going to be considerably less.
Ruth
Just tried this recipe as written except substituted dried parsley and powdered ginger for the fresh. We loved it! This is a keeper. Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe Ruth! I hope you find more recipes to try on my blog
Connie smith
What marinade would you use for this recipe?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Connie
I don’t use a marinade with this recipe. It would be a bit of an overkill with the topping.
Jerry Lewis
I used this recipe to cook swordfish for the first time and it was fabulous!!!!!! Swordfish is now on my list of items to bring home.
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my recipe Jerry! I have lots of other great seafood recipes for you to try next!
MikeinCA
Saw fresh steaks at the market today and searched for a recipe. This was a great find! Turned out moist and tons of flavor (went heavy on garlic, red pepper, and lemon…sorry). This is a winner I will make again.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks so much for the taking the time to leave a comment, and I always say recipes are guidelines. Its okay to adjust things to liking. I hope you find more of my recipes to try, I do have a lot of fish recipes.
Fezz
Wow just made it
Loved it
Thank you so mich
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you and I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the dish!
Bea
Love the recipe! Will try it tonight. Following weight Watchers so the nutritional count is important in calculating daily points.
Questioning the protein count of 1. Is your nutritional value just for the butter sauce?
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Bea
I’m sorry about that, the program I use for nutritional values is not very forgiving and didn’t read the swordfish properly. Using 6 0unce fillets its coming up as 33 g of protein now.
Crystal Williams
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! I upped the garlic an extra clove. I took some for lunch today and it was even better today after marinating in that sauce all night. I will definitely be making this again. I’ll put it in my “guaranteed win” category!
Chef Dennis Littley
Hi Crystal
extra garlic sounds good to me, and I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Nailah
Just made this tonight; it was literally perfect! I was told it “hit the spot.” Definitely making this again. Thank you!!!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed it Nailah! Thank you!!
Tracy
I made this for the first time tonight. It’s crazy good!!! And easy enough for a busy weeknight but special enough for company or someone you want to impress.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Tracy, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Ayla
Wow! I made this tonight and it was so delicious! So rich and flavorful! It was also pretty quick and easy to make, very straightforward. Thanks for a great recipe I’m sure I’ll use again!
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Ayla
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I hope you can find more on my blog to try.
Andrew
Great Recipe Chef. The whole family loved it.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you Andrew, I’m very happy to hear the recipe was a success!
Carolann
Absolutely delicious! I used pumpkin swordfish.
Chef Dennis Littley
thanks for the feedback Carolann, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve never seen pumpkin swordfish, I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
Keefer
This is a fantastic recipe. I changed things up only a touch. I look this out to the grill and seared it on both sides and then finished cooking it in a cast iron skillet (still on the grill). The first time I made this is was amazing but it needed a touch of sweetness so the second time around I added just s little bit of diced mango and it was just what was needed. This is a ish I’ll be sure to pull out in the future!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for your feedback and I’m very happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the swordfish recipe!
Amee
This swordfish looks so amazing! Simple recipe, but tons of flavor…my kind of healthy dish! 🙂
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Amee, It was very flavorful
David @ CookingChat
This looks great, Chef Dennis! I love to grill swordfish with a simple ginger soy marinade, but this looks like a good option to vary my routine.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks David, It was a very tasty way to prepare the swordfish!
minnie@thelady8home
Wow, amazing looking fish Chef, the flavors look so tempting. I think this seasoning would go very well with cod too…too good.
Chef Dennis Littley
hi Minnie
thank you and they would indeed be a very nice way to serve cod or just about any fish!
Kath
Your compound butter sounds fabulous, Dennis! Perfect for your swordfish, but I can see using it with salmon, too.
Chef Dennis Littley
it would work really well with salmon too Kath, and you can customize the ingredients to the flavors you enjoy!
Adam J. Holland
Looks divine!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Adam!
Robyn @ simply fresh dinners
I love all fish but have not cooked swordfish and will now remedy that with you tasty recipe. I know what you mean about ventilation system – I have set off my smoke alarm so many times,lol.
Thanks for a great dish, Chef Dennis!
Chef Dennis Littley
Glad you like it Robyn, I hope you get a chance to try the recipe soon!
Luci {Luci's Morsels}
This looks delicious. I always like swordfish; i think because it’s a sturdier fish. And you had me at the chili flakes!
Chef Dennis Littley
it was very tasty Luci, thanks so much for stopping by!
Matt Robinson
This looks amazing Dennis, I love how you flavored the swordfish!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Matt, the topping really added a lot of great flavor!
Larry
Good to hear from you over here Dennis. The fish looks delicious.
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you Larry, and thanks so much for stopping by!
claudia lamascolo
Recipe sounds great..wow pay what you want how cool will have to check it out. CRUDO? Thanks for the info. Love the video
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks Claudia, and its Credo in College Park.
steven dworkin
made this swordfish dish it was outstanding
a huge hit
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!