Self-awareness

Mom waited through an extended summer for someone to play "Settlers of Catan" with her. Brad finally caved the weekend before going back to school and made Mom's whole summer by playing not one but two games with her. And how did Mom repay Brad's kindness? She beat him twice and gleefully rubbed it in. Your Mom has many wonderful qualities but being a good winner is not one of them. It was painful to watch.

Not content just to lord it over Brad, Mom sent this message to the family text chain at 8:37 p.m. that evening: "Just whooped up on Brad twice in settlers. First one was 13 to 3. I'm pretty sure the second one was 13 to 5." I guess after sleeping on it Mom realized what a bad sport she'd been, because she texted this message out at 9:07 a.m. the following morning: "It's no wonder nobody wants to play settlers with me." Ya think? Oh well, it only took Mom 12 hours to achieve some self-awareness, which is always a good thing, unless you're Skynet.

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I've made these swordfish steaks a few times now and they always come out well. But I wasn't satisfied with any of the different sauces I made to accompany the swordfish, and a squeeze of lemon just isn't enough to get the job done. I think I finally found a winner with this Sicilian oregano sauce (salmoriglio) though. And it only involves a little bit of chopping and comes together in less than 10 minutes, which makes this a quick and nutritious meal, served with some kind of salad or other veggie on the side.

Pan-Seared Swordfish Steaks

Adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated 2018 Annual (video)

Time: 27 minutes

Trader Joe’s has frozen swordfish, which is good. Defrost in the fridge for a day before cooking the fish.

2 swordfish steaks (~8 ounces each), ¾- to 1-inch thick, with as small a bloodline as possible
kosher salt
1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower
lemon wedges or sauce, for serving

    1. Using a sharp, thin knife, trim off any skin from around the edges of the steaks. Pat the fish dry, on both sides, with paper towels. Season generously with salt on both sides.
    2. Heat the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Wipe gently with a paper towel, leaving a thin film of oil covering the cooking surface. Place the steaks in the skillet and cook, using tongs to flip the steaks every 2 minutes, until they are golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 130 degrees at the thickest parts of the fish, about 7 to 11 minutes depending on the thickness of the steaks. Turn the heat down a little if the fish is browning too quickly.
    3. Place the steaks on individual plates and let rest for 10 minutes (the internal temperature of the fish will rise to 140 degrees during that time). Serve with lemon wedges or sauce. Serves 2.

Salmoriglio

(Sicilian Oregano Sauce)

Adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (2017) by Samin Nosrat

Time: 8 minutes

Serve with grilled or roasted fish, meat, or vegetables. This recipe makes a lot more sauce than you need for the swordfish, so you can make half a recipe or store the rest in the fridge if you make a whole recipe.

¼ cup very finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, finely grated on a Microplane or pounded with a pinch of salt
¼ cup (53 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt 
2 tablespoons (30 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice

    1. In a small bowl, stir together the parsley, oregano, garlic, oil, and a big pinch of salt.
    2. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Taste for salt and lemon. Serve immediately or store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Makes about ½ cup.

Chimichurri-ish Sauce
In step 1, add 1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar and up to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, both to taste.