I remember when and where I first had a swordfish souvlaki, like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 1987, my first summer in Greece without my parents. I had just completed one year of university and the trip to Greece was a gift from my parents for graduating high school and being accepted in university.
I graduated in 1986 (back then we had a grade 13) and I was supposed to go that summer but my parents weren’t going to send sonny-boy to Europe with radiation fall-out from the Chernobyl disaster. So, my vacation gift was delayed by a year and I went to Greece in 1987, a gap of 4 years since my last visit.
The 1987 visit to Greece also offered me my first visit to an island, Skiathos. This island is relatively small, lush green with evergreens and turquoise waters bordered by sandy beaches and that light blue sky. Skiathos is the northernmost island in the Sporades. Just to the south of it lies Skopelos, which was the primary location for the filming of the movie Mamma Mia.
Skiathos is located just east of the mainland, near the Pelion peninsula and the port city of Volos. It’s located around halfway between Athens and Thessaloniki and there are many options for getting there. One can take a ferry from Athens to Skiathos or drive from either Athens or Thessaloniki to Volos and then catch either a ferry or hydrofoil. Regular ferry boat and hydrofoil service to Skiathos is also available from Thessaloniki.
All I have from Skiathos are grainy photos taken with a cheap Kodak camera and my memories….blurred by beers, Ouzo and Gin & Tonics (my gin drinking phase). What I do recall is a picturesque small port town that wins you over immediately. Winding alleyways of small bars and tavernas, nearby beaches (you have to visit the sweeping bay of Koukounaries) and delicious food that caters to all tastes and budgets.
I can vividly remember sitting down and enjoying the swordfish souvlaki. It was near the end of our stay, we were tired from late nights and sleepless days on the beach. My body and soul craved sit-down food, a slower pace and we tripped upon a taverna that was just down from the port, elevated about 50 feet above sea level, within full view of the sea. The smell of pine was combined with the aroma of gardenias. Bougainvillea overhang like draped over the whitewashed wall that keep the taverna from spilling over into the sea. A trellis of grape wines provided us with ample shade from the hot Greek sun.
Have you had swordfish before? The swordfish (Xiphias gladius) roam temperate and tropical waters worldwide. It’s flesh is firm, pink to ivory in colour and it contains a moderate amount of oils in it – a good candidate for grilling. Choose thick swordfish steaks, remove and dark red areas and cut into cubes for the souvlaki recipe. Often the swordfish steak will still have the skin on it and it too should be removed (along with any bones).
The flavouring of this swordfish is no long-held secret recipe but just nudging/helping along this light-tasting fish. Olive oil, citrus, Greek oregano, garlic are all that are needed here. The dish benefits from having a light touch with the ingredients: my marinade only uses the zest of lemon and a minimal juice, I don’t want the acid to cook the swordfish. Mixed with some garlic, olive oil, black pepper and a bit of Dijon mustard and you have a simple marinade that complements the fish – not cover it.
Your choice of what vegetables to accompany the fish in the skewers is up to you. Regardless of what you choose, cut the vegetables to the same diameter as the cubes of swordfish. In this instance, I used red peppers, purple (red) onions, green peppers and tomatoes. For the tomatoes, I simply pared the hull of the tomato and cut them into cubes, resembling the other veggies on the skewer. Try and cut/trim the vegetables to the same diameter as the the swordfish so that they may cook evenly.
When grilling swordfish, you need medium-high heat, gas or charcoal is fine and if ever you should heed my instructions to brush the grill surface well and ensure you begin with a clean, residue-free grill, it would be now. You don’t want your fish to stick. The grill should be wiped with an oil-treated towel to lubricate it and then simply allow heat to do the rest of the work. If using wooden skewers, soak overnight to reduce the chance of them burning up.
Accompaniments to the swordfish souvlaki are a baked rice pilaf, a seasonal salad and a Latholemono sauce as a dressing for the fish: extra-virgin Greek olive oil, lemon juice, some chopped fresh chives or scallions, chopped fresh Greek oregano (or dried), chopped capers and salt and pepper to taste. I cracked open a Boutari Santorini white, a delicious wine made 100% with the indigenous Assyrtiko varietal of the island.
Swordfish Souvlaki
(serves 4)
4 swordfish steaks, skin removed, trimmed of bones and any dark meat and cubed
uniform-cut pieces of onions, red and green peppers and tomatoes
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Marinade
zest of 1 lemon
3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. of fresh oregano or thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Latholemono (dressing)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. of Dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. chopped capers
1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano
salt and pepper to taste
- Remove the skin and bones from your swordfish steaks and cut into large, uniform cubes. Rinse & pat-dry. In a bowl, add all of your marinade ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste. Add your swordfish cubes into the marinade, cover and place in the fridge for one hour. Remove from the fridge and allow to return to room temperature. In the meantime, add all your latholemono ingredients in a jar and place lid on and shake. Adjust to taste.
- In the meantime, cut your vegetables into uniform size, roughly the same diameter as your cubes of swordfish. Skewer your swordfish with alternating pieces of vegetable. Pre-heat your gas grill, thoroughly brush your grill surface and when your grill gets to a medium-high (be able to place your hand over the heat and count to five), we’re ready to grill.
- Treat a towel with some vegetable oil and wipe your grill surface. Season your swordfish souvlaki with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Place on your grill for 4-5 minutes a side. Remove and plate with some wedges of lemon, spoon over some of the latholemono sauce and serve with some rice pilaf and a salad.
33 Responses
These look AMAZING! I love the table setup as well-makes me want to go to Greece!!
Great idea! I still have swordfish.
I remember somebody told me about grade 13 in Ontario. Is there no grade 13 anymore?
I made swordfish-on-a-stick some time back, but with an Indian twist. I love the texture of the fish!! Your greek version of swordfish-on-a-stick looks rather tempting!!
Beautiful! I love the idea!
Cheers,
Rosa
So, can a souvlaki be made with just about any protein?
Pam, souvlaki is derived from the Greek word “souvla”, which means skewer. So, you really can skewer anything you want and make it a souvlaki. Swordfish souvlaki is a popular taverna offering in Greece.
Nice dish. I guess we’re lucky that you were actually able to ‘remember’. I know college holidays tend to dull one’s recall. I feel like we don’t see swordfish much anymore…anyway, I don’t seem to. Is it getting extinct?
This would make the perfect dinner for out on the patio. I love it!
I love all versions of souvlaki. I have never experimented with swordfish though. They look fantastic Peter (as usual). You certainly must be revving up for your holiday to Greece!
Growing up in New England, we used to eat swordfish all the time and love it! I haven’t had it in years… not a lot of swordfish swimming in the rolling hills of Montana ;)
Oh my gosh……….this swordfish looks scrumptious! I just told my husband what we’re having for dinner on Saturday! YUM!
SKAITHOS!!! That’s my place! But WAIT, if my calculations are correct, you had a “Gin drinking phase” at the tender age of 14? Well then again, I convinced my aunt to drop me at Banana Beach around that age ;P Ok back to Skaithos, my Aunt and Uncle have been “natives” for over 30 years. I’ve been spent many a summers there exploring the koukounaries mountains and swimming along the beautiful beaches and eating delicious seafood dishes are like swordfish souvlaki. There is a Greek-Aussie living on the island who has a resturant called Spathis (??) and makes amazing seafood dishes, esp the lobster spaghetti!
I’d love to be in Greece eating this wonderful souvlaki. I like your idea of the light marinade and not cooking the fish in the lemon juice.
Such a lovely summertime dish! I can almost smell the fresh lemon and fragrant herbs.
Latholemono is the source of all great cooking Peter:D L’il Burnt Toast was born the year you ventured out on your own to Greece….and yes she was born when I was 7:D
These skewers look scrumptious!! I love Greece :)
Lovely grill recipe, Peter. Swordfish holds up beautifully on the grill. The marinade is perfect.
nice memories and really good fish souvlaki
you have tempted me to try ksifias like this the next time we have fish
Your pork souvlaki is our favorite so I trust you with any souvlaki dish
Love swordfish, though we don’t eat it terribly often for fear of the lack of sustainability. That said — if you invited me over for this, I wouldn’t refuse!
As for those grainy photos — I think sometimes those memories are the best kind. They may not be preserved on archival paper, and they may fade over time… but the experiences live on.
Swordfish souvlaki was on eof my favorites for a long time. As a kid, whenever we would eat a local Greek taverna I would always get the xifia souvlaki …. mmmmm, it’s been a long time though!!
I think I can do this! It looks straightforward and delicious! – sometimes photoshop can do wonders with a grainy photo!
Valerie
Looks delish!
This to me is a dish that screams summer, nothing subtle about it. It must be eaten outside ideally with a sea breeze ruffling your hair.
Food memories, especially when you travel, can last forever. Sometimes I find it’s hard to recreate the taste, because it has so much to do with the place where you first experienced a dish. Sometimes I give up, and accept that the dish I’ve created might not be the same as the original, but it’s equally good!
Gorgeous! We ate a lot of swordfish in Italy but it was never like this! Looks fabulously delicious!
Food memories can be quite strong sometimes. I remember swordfish souvlaki when I was growing up, I think it as very much in fashion in the 80’s in Greece, but haven’t encountered any for a long time. Yours looks much better than the ones i remember though!
Greek flavorings are right up my alley. Love the dressing that accompanies the fish. My husband and I would really enjoy this. Thanks!
havent done it…but you gave me a great idea for the future..thanx:)
mmmm…looks sooo good!!!!