- Course: Antipasto/Mezze, Hot Appetizer, Main Course
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Moderate
- Favorited: 15 Times
Recipe
Although I serve this as an antipasto—a small bite to tickle your palate—it reminds me of Christmas Eve when I was growing up. Like most Italian families, we ate nothing but fish and seafood on that holy night We started with course after course of shellfish—shrimp, clams, crab, mussels, and so on—followed by pasta and then fin fish. As midnight approached, well fed and just a little sleepy, we ventured out into the cold northern night for a candlelit mass at church. I don't advise you wait for Christmas Eve to serve this antipasto It's easy to make and lovely to serve over and over again. Use a light hand when pounding the fish, it should be thin enough to roll around the simple bread-crumb-and-cheese filling, but not so thin that it rips.
Ingredients
Lemon sauce:
- Juice of 2 lemons, strained of seeds
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon drained, chopped capers
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Swordfish:
- Four 6-ounce pieces swordfish, cut long and thin so each is 4 or 5 inches long
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup minced yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup fresh or dried bread crumbs
- ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon drained, minced capers
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 ounces provolone, thinly sliced or grated
Directions
1. To make the sauce: Put the lemon juice in a small nonreactive bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Stir in the parsley, basil, capers, and rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use Whisk before using.
2. To make the fish: Lay the swordfish between 2 sheets of plastic wrap Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small, heavy skillet, lightly pound the fish until it is about ¼ inch thick. Transfer the fish to a plate, season with salt and black pepper.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the parsley, thyme, capers, and red pepper. Season with salt and black pepper and set aside.
5. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the fish. Cover with the provolone and roll each piece of fish into a roll. Hold the rolls closed with toothpicks.
6. In an ovenproof sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and saute the swordfish rolls until golden brown on all sides. Turn them carefully with tongs or a wooden spoon. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, just until they are still moist in the center. Do not overcook.
7. Put each swordfish roll on a plate. Whisk the vinaigrette and spoon a little over each roll. Garnish with any remaining bread crumbs.
© 2007 Rick Tramonto
Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is based on 1/8 teaspoon added salt per serving






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