Flaherty Wines

Swordfish (called albacora in Chile) is seasonal at our local fishmonger, appearing for several weeks in the winter. I enjoy the chance to sample all the tuna recipes in my favorite cookbooks, since the rest of the year I can only read through them wistfully. This year I experimented with my own take on an Asian-inspired cream sauce, pairing Japanese sake, wasabi, and pickled ginger with Thai fish sauce and Sriracha (hot chili sauce). This is now my favorite way of serving swordfish or tuna steaks. The list of ingredients is long, but the preparation is really simple—and the resulting dish is fantastic.

Seared swordfish steaks with wasabi-ginger sauce

4 swordfish or tuna steaks (1 to 2 inches thick)
Wasabi-ginger sauce (recipe below)
Garnishes: wasabi, pickled ginger, cilantro, scallions

For the marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tsp Sriracha (Thai chili sauce)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil, then whisk in the olive oil. Marinate the steaks for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. (I usually buy the steaks in the morning and them marinate them until I’m ready to prepare dinner. I’ve even left them overnight, and they were fine.) If marinating for longer than half an hour, refrigerate until ready to cook. Bring steaks to room temperature before searing.

Have the sauce (below) ready before you sear the steaks. To sear, heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan until almost smoking. (For a good browning, do not use nonstick pans.) Sear the steaks for one minute per side, then serve with the sauce, a sprinkling of cilantro and scallions, and additional wasabi and pickled ginger on the side, .

For the wasabi-ginger sauce

1/2 cup cream
1/3 cup sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon pickled ginger, minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the wasabi paste into the sake, then combine with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer to reduce slightly (or to the desired consistency). Taste to adjust the salt (though I find that the soy provides plenty of salt).