Swordfish Wine Pairing with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ever wonder what wine to pair with swordfish? There are many to choose from, actually; it just depends on how you want to cook this dish. In this pairing, I broiled swordfish steaks and served them with a delicious lemon-butter wine sauce...perfect with a crisp, high-acid white wine! Read on for all suggestions.
Its no secret that I really, really, really like lemony dishes. (Here are two of my favorites: lemon chicken and easy peasy lemon spaghetti.) God help me if I run out of lemons in the house. They add so much character to the simplest of meals. Squeeze a lemon over anything and its instantly brighter. So guess what I did to this swordfish? Gave it some zip with a lemon-butter sauce.
The Pairing
Let’s take a look at Swordfish: for a fish dish, it’s quite “meaty” (they’re called swordfish steaks, after all!). A weighty fish like this will pair very well with a medium-bodied wine. A light-bodied wine will work as well to contrast and lighten the meal all-around.
Although swordfish might work with a light-bodied red wine, the sauce of this recipe dictates a white! The lemon-dill butter sauce has bright acidity and therefore needs a white wine that will match that.
The ideal wine I want with this dish is a medium-bodied, refreshing white with great acidity and plenty of lemon and citrus flavors. For last night’s dinner, I paired with with Assyrtiko, an ancient grape variety from Greece. It was pretty perfect—and if you’ve never had Assyrtiko before, this is a perfect meal to try it with!
Dani's Picks for Wines to Pair with Broiled Swordfish
Assyrtiko (ah-seer-tee-ko) from Greece!
Gavi: a region in Piedmont, Italy, famous for the Cortese grape
Verdicchio: a native white from Italy
Picpoul: a lemony varietal from southern France
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris
Sauvignon Blanc (but stay away from New Zealand examples which could overwhelm this dish)
Chablis:
As you can see, I have a lot of suggestions and am barely scratching the surface. Have fun with this pairing, it’s an easy one! Just make sure not to buy a wine that isn’t too weighty or aromatic. Stay away from: oaked Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Torrontes, and Viognier.
The Recipe
Broiled Swordfish Steaks with Lemon-Butter Sauce
Author: Dani (CaretoPair.com)
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 Cup dry white wine (use whatever you're pairing your dinner with)
1/4 Cup minced yellow onion
4 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Swordfish steaks, about 1 lb total
small amount of butter (about 1/2 Tbsp)
1 garlic clove, minced very finely
Instructions
First, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, add the onion and wine and simmer over medium-high heat until the wine has reduced to 1/3 of its size, stirring occasionally. (About 10 minutes)
Remove the pan from the heat and add a few cubes of butter, whisking them into the wine until fully melted. Repeat with the rest of the butter cubes.
Stir in the dill, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper if desired (I didn't).
Next, heat the broiler to high and let warm up for about 5 minutes. Brush the swordfish steaks with a thin layer of room-temperature butter and season with salt, pepper, and minced garlic on both sides. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil (to encourage browning) and place under the broiler about 5 inches away from the heating element.
Cook for about 5 minutes until the swordfish begins to brown. Remove from the broiler and flip the fish with a spatula. Place back under the broiler and continue to brown for an additional 5 minutes .Meanwhile, reheat the lemon-butter sauce if necessary.
Serve the swordfish over rice and pour the lemon-butter sauce all over it. Sqeeze a lemon over everything for an extra boost of acidity.
