Swordfish Picatta
David Kendrick - Kendrick’s of St. Croix, USVI
Serves 4
Batter:
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Four 1-inch thick swordfish steaks
Flour for dusting
1/4 cup clarified butter
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Piccata Sauce:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup capers, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 star fruit, sliced thin
To make the batter: Combine the flour, cheese, egg, and milk in a food processor. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; add more cheese to thicken, or milk to thin.
To prepare the fish: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut each steak horizontally into two thin pieces. Heat the clarified butter and oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Dust the fish with the flour and dip into the batter to coat. Place the fish and garlic in the pan and sear until the coating is golden brown, about 1 minute, turning once. Place the pan in the oven and cook 7 to 8 minutes, until just opaque. Transfer the fish to a warm plate.
Pour off any excess oil, leaving several tablespoons in the pan, and wipe the outside of the pan. Return the pan to the heat. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, add the wine, and stir to bring up any browned bits from the bottom. Stir in the capers and one half of the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the butter.
To serve: Place two slices of fish on each plate. Pour the piccata sauce from the pan over the fish. Dip the edges of the star fruit in the remaining parsley, and place slices of star fruit on the fish.