Grilled Swordfish with Lemon-Basil Butter

Swordfish is a great choice for grilling, and topped with fresh lemon basil butter, it makes a quick flavorful meal with very little fuss.

Course Seafood

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Servings servings

Calories 564

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat.
Cut each swordfish steak in half, drizzle with lemon juice and let stand for 1 minute. Rub both sides of each steak with olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.
Place the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt and basil in a small bowl and combine well. Set aside until ready to serve.
Oil the grill grates and add the fish. Grill the swordfish steaks until opaque throughout, 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 minutes per side. To avoid drying out the fish, do not leave unattended.
Top each piece of fish with about 1 tablespoon of the lemon-basil butter just as it comes off the grill. Rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Start with fresh fish: Swordfish steaks range in color from creamy white to pale pink and often have areas of dark flesh (called the bloodline) running through them. Look for steaks where those dark areas are more red than brown as this is a good indicator of freshness.
Cook through, but don't overcook: Swordfish should be cooked until it’s opaque all the way through, but watch it carefully to avoid overcooking and drying it out.
Grill with the skin on but don't eat: The skin on swordfish is very tough and while we recommend grilling with the skin on, it shouldn’t be eaten.