Grilled Greek Swordfish and Zucchini with Orange-Rosemary Marinade

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 | posted by wendy

This is a dish I like to serve on a bed of orzo with kalamata olives, citrus zest, herbs and feta…maybe even some roasted red peppers. I have also made this recipe in a conventional oven, roasting the vegetables at 450, but broiling the sword for 4-5 minutes per side.

2 swordfish steaks
1 orange (zest and juice)
a few cloves of garlic
olive oil
lots of fresh rosemary
black pepper and a bit of kosher salt
a few zucchinis and summer squash, (cut lenthwise in slabs or as large chunks on the bias)

Crush and mince garlic on cutting board with a bit of kosher salt, the zest from an orange, several sprigs of Rosemary leaves and black pepper. Rub mixture onto swordfish steaks, then drizzle with olive oil and the juice from the zested orange. Add zucchini and Summer squash to the bowl as well and toss around. Refridgerate for about an hour.

Prepare a hot grill and grill zucchini and summer squash, set aside. Then grill steaks on high heat for 4-5 minutes per side. Serve the grilled vegetables and swordfish over the orzo. I use the remaining marinade (after it has been heated to a boil) as a dressing for the orzo. Great stuff!

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Crete was Sweet!

Friday, May 28th, 2010 | posted by mike

Just returned from an amazing family vacation on the island of Crete in Greece! Of course food was a very important part of our trip! Lots of wonderful Greek salads made with local tomatoes & olives, a big slab of feta or some other sheep or goat cheese (usually home-made) with the goats looking right at us during the meal! Fresh yogurt with aromatic wild mountain thyme honey, local live snails sautéed in wonderful Cretan olive oil with garlic and rosemary, fresh sea urchin prepared simply with olive oil and lemon and served with crusty bread, incredible lamb roasted over olivewood, and of course everything always accompanied with great, inexpensive wines produced all over the island, often sold out of a barrel or a plastic water bottle!

The most unforgettable meals though were the fish and shellfish! The colorful, traditional small fishing boats would bring in an amazing mix. It was hard to choose what to buy, everything looked so gorgeous! Red mullet (barbouni), John Dory, whitebait, sardines, mackerels & jacks of all kinds, local shrimp (with roe), bronzini, sea bream (tsipura), slipper lobsters, cuttlefish and lots of fish I didn’t know the names of! There was octopus right out of the sea and that’s what my family loved the best! One night I grilled some along with other locally caught fish over a wood fire, along with a nice Greek salad, some local bread and wine! All the fish I simply grilled whole with olive oil, garlic & lemon.

We’ve included the octopus recipe here. In Greece they pound them on the rocks to tenderize them— boiling for 45 minutes works just as well!

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Grilled Octopus

Friday, May 28th, 2010 | posted by wendy

1 2# octopus (or 2 1# octopi)
4 T olive oil
2t fresh oregano or 1t dried
2 cloves minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon

Boil octopus for 45 minutes (lower octopus into pot and dunk in and out of the water 4 times, then simmer)

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon and herbs.

After the octopus has simmered for 45 minutes, cut in half and add to bowl and coat with oil-lemon-herb-garlic mixture. Grill for about 2-3 minutes a side on a hot fire. Slice off legs, chop body and toss in remaining marinade.

This recipe is also wonderful as a warm salad-just add some thinly sliced red onion and wedges of ripe tomato to the marinade and grilled octopus chunks and serve on a bed of fresh greens.

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Grilled Orata with Fennel

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 | posted by wendy

Orata (aka Gilthead Porgy or Daurad) is a type of seabream—fatter and meatier than an east coast porgy with richer, dense flesh. This is a fish that can be baked, roasted, steamed…but is particularly perfect for the grill since the individual size is great for one serving (usually the fish are less than 1 lb. each), so it’s a great way to present a whole fish. We especially love this dish with fresh fennel.

10-12 oz. Orata per person (gilled, scaled and gutted)
1 fennel bulb sliced (with fronds reserved)
fresh garlic (2 crushed cloves per fish)
thin slices of lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Slice fennel bulb, then soften by cooking in extra virgin olive oil (and maybe a bit of water) for about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Score the skin of the fish about 2 inch apart, cutting just slightly into the flesh. Then stuff fish cavities with slices of lemon, the softened fennel, chopped garlic, salt & pepper, brush the fish with olive oil and lay on some of the fronds of fennel (each side) Tie with butcher twine to secure each fish.

Place each fish on a HOT, oiled grill. Cook each side of the fish for about 5minutes. The fennel fronds may burn up a bit, but it gives the fish wonderful flavor (while protecting from the direct heat of the grill). Remove fish to a plate and rest for a few minutes before cutting off the twine and serving on individual plates.

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Mahi-Mahi Al Greco

Monday, March 22nd, 2010 | posted by mike

Serves 2

3/4 lbs. skinned Mahi-Mahi cut into cubes
1 T toasted pinenuts
1/3 c crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives
1/2 c chopped artichoke hearts
5 oz (half a bag) rinsed spinach
2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium-sized red onion, chopped
juice of one large lemon
2 t dried oregano (or 1 T fresh)
2 t dried basil (or 1 T fresh)

Combine lemon, olive oil, herbs and garlic and marinate fish cubes for 30 minutes. Remove fish from marinade and stirfry in a skillet with onion and a little more olive oil over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes. When fish is almost opaque in the middle, add the olives, artichoke hearts, feta and spinach to wilt. Sprinkle with toasted pinenuts.

Serve with rice or pasta.

* substitutions: any firm fleshed fish such as monkfish, swordfish, striper, or halibut.

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