A Touch of Heaven: Swordfish Skewers and Beets

Posted on March 4, 2014

“Wow, what a busy Holiday Season!”  That’s what we said in January, and then February, and now we are in March with no signs of things slowing down.  That has meant a LONG break from creative genius in the kitchen.  With a new job for Joiwind and a promotion for Andy, our local favorite restaurants have seen us way too much.  And a few new ones.

ANDY HATES BEETS.  While enjoying a new local spot, Joiwind convinced Andy to try a beet salad.  We both agreed that it was awful!  Once upon a time, in a place not remembered, we had roasted beets…and even Andy said they were good (of course, this is Joiwind’s version of the story).   So a challenge was laid down.  Figure out a way to make beets delicious.

With Joiwind at work during the day, and Andy at home to play…just kidding…he did actually squeeze this master creation into an already busy day, Joiwind came home to an out of this world meal.  And yes, it included beets!  And also a fancy swordfish skewer with a parsley salsa verde (just sayin).

ROASTED BEETS
3-5     red beets
3-5     white beets
olive oil
kosher salt to taste
cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel beets and cut them in to
thin slices. (Side note, Andy quickly realized that gloves are
a good idea for this process. Red beets make everything they
touch red!).  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on a
cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (or it will be a major
mess to clean up later – again the RED in those beets).  Roast
in the oven for 25-30 minutes (check periodically with a fork).
Once a fork easily pierces the beets, broil them for 3-5 minutes
or until there is slight blistering. Serves 2.

They are especially delicious served with mayonnaise on the side!

Awkward  moment: Like we said, beets make EVERYTHING red.  Red in, red out.  We both thought we were…uhum…peeing blood later that night.  Don’t panic…it’s just the beets.  

Before we give away the swordfish recipe, we really think we should try it out on another victim before making it public.  Just kidding!  It is that incredibly amazingly fabulous (Joiwind’s words).  So here it is (credit for the recipe goes to Food & Wine magazine, credit for the magic goes to Andy Bahr).

SWORDFISH SKEWERS WITH PARSLEY SALSA VERDE
1      cup flat leaf parsley leaves
8     garlic gloves, crushed or finely chopped
1      teaspoon crushed red pepper
½     cup extra-virgin olive oil
28    fresh bay leaves
1½   pounds swordfish, cut into 1½ inch pieces
1       medium zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise (on a mandoline gives the best result)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor (or blender), pulse the parsley, garlic, crushed red pepper and olive oil to a thick puree. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.

On long skewers (3-4) thread ingredients in the following order: a bay leaf, a piece of fish, a bay leaf, tri-folded zucchini ribbon, a bay leaf, a piece of fish, etc.  Season the skewers with salt and pepper and brush liberally with the parsley mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

Skewers can be prepared on either a grill pan or an outdoor grill (the latter gives the best flavor in our opinion).  Of course, Andy is sorta addicted to his grill!  The recipe says: Grill the skewers over moderate heat, until the fish is lightly browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes (to 10 minutes).  In real life, knowing when fish is done is a process of trial and error.  One tip is to leave a piece of fish on the end of one skewer so you can test it with a fork.  Swordfish is a tougher fish, so it will be firm-ish when done, but should still flake off with a fork.  Andy’s addition to making this recipe fabulous: continue to baste the skewers with the parsley mixture while grilling.

Slide the ingredients off the skewer onto the plate.  Bay leaves are not edible!  But everything else will be incredibly tasty.