Last Night at Chez Bart: Swordfish & Spaghetti with Citrus Pesto

*Note: This will be the last seafood dish I make for a while. So for those of you who are not down with the sea, just hold out till Sunday. I have a really good short rib recipe I want to try!


Swordfish & Spaghetti with Citrus Pesto

Another recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta. I decided to give this one a shot, because well... I LOVE pesto!

Store Notes: The swordfish definitely is not cheap, especially the 2lbs that it requires. I ended up cutting the steaks in half, throwing the second lot in the freezer for another time. This recipe also requires about a cup and a half of basil - obviously for the pesto - which can be annoyingly pricy at certain stores. 

Also, if you do not own a microplane, this would be the time to buy one. It will make the zesting of lemons and oranges that this recipe requires, as well as future zesting, so much easier.

Finished pesto!

Prep Notes: A food processor works best for making the pesto, which is just basil, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and olive oil blended in a food processor. A blender will suffice, but you will have better results using a food processor. In my go at this recipe, I threw the pine nuts on a small skillet over medium heat to toast them. It's not necessary, but adds a nice toasty nutty flavor to the pesto.

To make the pesto, throw all the ingredients but the olive oil into the processor, and pulse to a coarse chop. Next, opening the shoot at the top, slowly drizzle olive oil while running the processor until you have a smooth sauce. It really isn't that difficult! 

Also, pesto stores very well. One of the tricks my Mom always taught me was to make tons of pesto in the summer (when Basil is in season) because it freezes very well. You can pour it into small containers and throw it into the freezer (make sure you pour a little olive oil over the exposed pesto in the container - this will preserve the green color), or even pour it into ice cube trays, freeze them, and then break them in a plastic bag to put back into the freezer. That way you have your portions already perfectly measured!

Finally, to prep the swordfish, baste them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sautéing the swordfish

Cook Notes: To boil the pasta, use a stock pot with plenty of water. Add kosher salt LIBERALLY. I cannot stress this enough; do not shy away from adding salt to the water. While the water is heating to boil, heat up a sauté or grill pan to medium-high heat. The recipe calls for swordfish to cook 3-4 minutes a side for 1-inch thick steaks. So figure 8 minutes total cooking time, and since the pasta package said 10-14 minutes cooking time, I throw the swordfish on the skillet once the pasta had been coking for 6 minutes.

Once the pasta and swordfish are done cooking, pull them off the stove. Toss the pasta with the pesto in a large bowl, adding some parmesano reggiano. Plate the pasta with the swordfish, and you are done!

Plated and ready to be destroyed!

Tasting Notes:  I really do enjoy this pesto recipe. The hints of lemon and orange really create a pesto that is not overly heavy and rich, making it a perfect complement to fish. Speaking of the fish, the salt and pepper really gives the swordfish good flavor, but I think I would have added a little lemon too. It just needs a bit more gusto! That being said, I think this recipe could work with a lot of different kinds of fish: halibut, whitefish, grouper, etc. - fish that are not overly fishy (like salmon or trout), but have nice balance. In fact, swordfish is probably the fishiest one would want to do with this recipe, as the fish would overpower the pesto.

Libation Notes: This dish definitely requires a delicate wine, thereby not overpowering either the fish or the pesto. For a white, I would go with a Pinto Grigio: something that is light, crisp, and refreshing. While I would be apprehensive to suggest a red, I think a rosé would go with this dish nicely as well.

Overall: Not difficult to make, but requires some preparation. A great interpretation of the classic pesto recipe, that is extremely versatile. One could arguable serve this pasta with fish (as per what the recipe calls for), chicken, or even veal. A true delight to make.