Swordfish

Know this

Read the bloodline first, then swipe for the whole fish. That dark stripe should be bright, clean red. Brown and dull means the steak has been sitting and no marinade is going to fix it. Ignore the flesh color as a grade, it runs anywhere from ivory to pinkish orange depending on how much squid the fish was eating, and neither one is better. What you actually walk away from is a steak that looks wet, weirdly uniform, or weeps milky liquid onto the paper. The chef secret: swordfish is lean enough to punish you, so give it ten minutes in a light salt brine before it hits heat, and pull it while the center is still faintly pink. Cooked through, it goes from steak to sawdust in about ninety seconds.

Cook

Steaks at least an inch thick, patted dry, oiled and salted, onto a grill or cast iron running hot. Four minutes, turn once, four more. Pull it at 130 degrees and let it rest five. Trim the dark bloodline strip off before cooking if you want it mild.

Season

Summer into fall, peak August through October.

Best pairings

Lemon · Capers · Oregano · Salmoriglio · Olive oil · Cherry tomato

Also worth trying: fennel, olives, pine nuts, mint, chili flake, grilled eggplant, garlic, parsley, orange.

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