Ingredients
4 plum tomatoes, seeded, chopped and drained
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil (about 10-12 leaves), torn or chopped
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
Salt and pepper
2 lemons, zested
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (a couple of handfuls), finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped and 1 pasted*
2 cups plain or seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 swordfish steaks (1/2-inch thick each)
Coarse salt
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 250°F. For the raw sauce, put the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl to drain them of some of their natural liquid. This will prevent the sauce from being too watery. Once they have drained for a bit, put them into a bowl and toss them with the red onion, basil, a healthy drizzle of EVOO and lots of salt and pepper. Let the mixture marinate while you put together the swordfish cutlets. In a shallow dish, combine lemon zest, parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs and ground pepper. Reserve. Trim all skin and any dark-colored meat from the swordfish.
Take each fillet and place between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. Or, you can ask your fishmonger to give you some additional wrapping paper for the fish and use that. With the bottom of a skillet, gently pound the fillets to about 1/4-inch thick. Lightly salt the fillets and press them into the reserved breading mixture. Be sure to bread both sides.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO until it's screaming hot. Add the swordfish cutlets to the skillet, but don’t overcrowd the pan. Work in batches, if necessary. Brown the cutlets for 2 minutes on each side. If working in batches, transfer the browned cutlets to a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven as you cook the others. Once you have browned up all the swordfish cutlets, serve them topped with the raw sauce and a side of Orange and Oregano Salad.
