Seared Swordfish With Artichoke and Olive (Tetsuya)

Gandalf The White's Note:

Tetsuya Wakuda's restaurant, Tetsuya's, is a highly regarded restaurant in Sydney, Australia with a definite Japanese flair but making extensive use of Australia's ingredients in innovative ways (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetsuya's). Tetsuya's is considered Australia's best restaurant and has routinely been ranked in the top 20 in the world (http://www.theworlds50best.com/module/acms_winners?group_id=1&item_id=55). Australia has an abundance of fresh fish and seafood, so a saltwater fish, prepared with a minimum of fuss, is a very traditional Australian preparation. Substitutions and variations: You can substitute marlin, tuna or bonito for the swordfish. You can substitute a relatively neutral oil with a high smoke point for the grapeseed oil -- I have used canola oil successfully. I use low sodium chicken stock. You can augment (or substitute for) the tomato with tomato paste. Wakame is available in dried form in most oriental grocery stores or via the Internet. To prepare dried wakame, wipe very lightly with a damp paper towel, then soak in room temperature water for no more than 60 seconds. "Rocket" is the UK (and Australian) term for arugula. This recipe is adapted from "Tetsuya" by Tesuya Wakuda. Uploaded for Zaar World Tour 5 (2009).

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 200 -280 g swordfish fillets (4 fillets, each 50-70g)
• 1/2 teaspoon grapeseed oil
• 2 large artichokes
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (to acidulate the water)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 4 pieces wakame seaweed, each about 2 inches by 3 inches
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon mirin
• 80 ml olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black olive paste
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 4 -6 leaves arugula (rocket)
• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon spring onion, julienned (scallions)
• 2 tablespoons tomatoes, peeled and diced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 dgrees F.
2. In an oven-safe non-stick frying pan over high heat, add the grapeseed oil and then sear the swordfish fillets on both sides.
3. Transfer the frying pan and fillets to the oven for a few minutes ONLY to help the fillets cook through -- ideally, you will remove the fish when they are medium-rare.
4. Trim the artichoke, cut in half and remove the choke.
5. Cut each half into half again, put into a pan containing water, the lemon juice and salt; and cook until tender.
6. To make the sauce, put the soy sauce, mirin, olive oil, black olive paste, garlic and chicken stock into a saucepan, stir, and gently heat.
7. Just before serving, wilt the rocket in the sauce and then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
8. To serve, warm 4 plates; place the wakame in the center, with the swordfish on top of it; place an artichoke quarter by the side of the fillet; garnish with parsley, scallions, rocket and tomato.
9. You may dress the fillet with sauce or pass the sauce separately.

Reviews

[Dr. Jenny]

Despite the long list of ingredients, this recipe is actually pretty quick and easy to prepare and make (the longest part being the trimming of the artichoke). I liked the seared swordfish, the seaweed, the garnish, and my favorite part was the artichoke. We cooked it until it was very tender. However, I did not care for the taste of the sauce as much. I frequently prepare my swordfish in an "Asian" style; but don't usually use mirin or black olive paste in the sauce (both of which I like on their own merits). Perhaps it was one of those ingredients, in combination with the others, that I did not like as much. Also, my olive oil did not blend as well with the other ingredients when I went to spoon the sauce over the fish. I followed all directions and used all ingredients as specified. Made for ZWT5.