For a beautiful, restaurant-worthy dish look no further than Grilled Swordfish. Tender swordfish steaks crowned with a vibrant green olive tapenade are a dinner party worthy dish that's weeknight easy.
Meaty, mildly sweet swordfish is richer than your average white fish and that makes it perfect for grilling. No sticking to grill grates or falling apart, it's a delicious fish you can grill with confidence.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Grilled Swordfish
- Swordfish Steaks: ideally 1 ½-inches thick
- Pitted Green Olives: such as Castelvetrano (Nocellara del Belice)
- Capers: Ideally non-pareil, pronounced \nahn-puh-REL\), meaning "has no equal" in French, these are the smallest capers with a bright, briny flavor and pop of texture.
- Olive Oil: good, extra-virgin olive oil
- Lemon: fresh lemon juice and zest, plus optional wedges for serving
- Fresh Parsley: flat leaf (Italian) parsley
- Garlic: fresh garlic
- Anchovy Fillet: ideally good quality anchovies packed in oil
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Cooking swordfish on the grill takes just 10 minutes, it's a sure method to retain the moisture and delectable flavor. In fact, this entire grilled swordfish recipe takes just 30 minutes, including time to whirl buttery Castelvetrano olives, lemon zest and capers into a lively green olive tapenade to spoon over the top (or mix it up with Artichoke Tapenade or simply drizzle with Garlic Butter Sauce). Arranged on a platter along with lemon wedges and a few sprigs of parsley makes for a simple and impressive presentation.
FAQ
Measure the internal temperature of grilled swordfish to know when it's done - it should reach 145˚F on an instant read thermometer. You want the steaks to be seared on the outside and just cooked through on the inside so they're still juicy.
I recommend grilling swordfish over medium-high heat, ~400˚F.
How to Grill Swordfish
You have endless options for grilled swordfish toppings and marinades, the key is to get the grilling right. It really is as easy as 1,2,3.
- Preheat your outdoor grill (gas grill or charcoal grill) to medium-high (400˚F).
- Pat swordfish steaks dry and rub them generously with oil, then season both sides with kosher salt and pepper.
- Arrange steaks in a single layer on clean grill grates freshly brushed with a little oil. Grill with the lid down (undisturbed for easy flipping and beautiful grill marks) for 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Carefully flip steaks with tongs or a thin, metal spatula and grill 4-5 minutes more (to a 145˚F internal temperature). Serve.
Serve With
More Grilled Fish and Seafood Recipes
Grilled Swordfish with Green Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
For the Green Olive Tapenade
- 1 cup pitted green olives such as castelvetrano
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 anchovy fillet finely chopped
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Swordfish
- 4 6-ounce swordfish steaks 1 ½-inches thick
- extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- lemon wedges for serving, optional
Instructions
- To make the green olive tapenade, combine olives, capers, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, parsley, garlic and anchovy fillet in the bowl of a food processor; pulse just until the olives are finely chopped. Season to taste with pepper. Transfer to bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat your grill to medium-high (400˚F).
- Pat swordfish steaks dry and place on a plate. Rub generously with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Brush grill grates with oil just before adding swordfish steaks in a single layer, leaving a little space between each. Grill steaks with the lid down 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness. Using tongs or a thin, metal spatula, gently flip each steak. Grill 4-5 minutes more (again with the lid down) until just opaque or until the fish reaches an internal temperature of 145˚F.
- Transfer swordfish to platter and spoon tapenade over. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Marissa, your olive tapenade is such a great topping for the swordfish. I don't think I've had a combination like this. They are a great match, and it's really a pretty dish. Restaurant worthy, indeed. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you, Valentina! I just love how the tapenade flavors really enhance the flavor of swordfish - one of my favorite fishes to grill.
Gosh, I'm sitting here swooning over your beautiful photos and trying to think of the last time I had swordfish! Obviously it's been to long if I have to think about it, huh!? Clearly I need to make this delicious recipe PRONTO to make up for lost time! Your swordfish looks just perfect - so drool-worthy!
Thank you so much, Cheyanne! I hope you'll love it.
I haven't grilled swordfish in ages! It used to be in the rotation of grilling options here, but somewhere along the line I just forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! And I love serving it with that olive tapenade - what a great way to channel the Mediterranean vibe!
My pleasure, David! Thank you.
Tom loves swordfish Marissa! I bet that tapenade is just perfect on top! Such a flavorful, yet easy summer meal!
Perfect! I hope you two will give this one a try, Mary Ann!
I haven't had swordfish for so long time, and this recipe reminds me I'll need to get my hands on it soon. It looks absolutely terrific, and with this olive tapenade, that's a restaurant-quality dish!
Thanks, Ben!
I always enjoy this meaty fish...haven't had them in a while. This looks so good with beautiful grill marks and fresh homemade olive tapenade.
Thank you, Angie!
No kidding this is beautiful! I’ve certainly put a Mediterranean style topping on fish, but not a tapenade. I can’t wait to do this. It would be so pretty on salmon, too!
Thanks so much, Chef Mimi! And I agree 100% - the tapenade would be excellent on salmon.