Salmon is one of the most eaten fish in Australia. I posted my Teriyaki Salmon recipe already, but how about trying a Swordfish Teriyaki Recipe for a change? It is as simple as Teriyaki Salmon, but today’s Teriyaki sauce is a little bit different -addition of grated ginger to the sauce.
Swordfish can be slightly fishy compared to fish like salmon. This is partly due to the oil in the flesh. Another reason can be the kind of food the fish was eating in the sea. To remove the fishy flavour I added grated ginger to the standard Teriyaki sauce.
As you can see in my Teriyaki Chicken, the standard Teriyaki sauce is made of equal parts of soy sauce, mirin, and cooking sake, with some sugar. The sauce becomes glossy when it is condensed in the pan.
Today’s Teriyaki sauce does not become glossy, but the flavour of ginger comes through nicely, and it goes so well with the swordfish.
What’s in My Swordfish Teriyaki Recipe
Like any other teriyaki recipe, the ingredients consist of the main ingredient, (fish in today’s recipe) and the Sauce ingredients.
- Swordfish cutlets (remove skin if you prefer)
- Oil to sauté
Teriyaki Sauce
- Soy sauce
- Mirin
- Sake
- Sugar
- Grated ginger
The ratio of the ingredients to make Teriyaki Sauce is very easy to remember. 3 parts each of liquid ingredient (soy, mirin, sake) + 1 part each of non-liquid ingredient (sugar, ginger). This kind of easy-to-remember ratio is called ‘ōgonhi’ (黄金比, golden ratio).
Serving (optional)
- Shiso (perilla) leaves
- Grated daikon (white radish)
Grated daikon refreshes your palate and a shiso leaf adds a bright colour to the dish. As an alternative, you can sauté sliced capsicum or blanch green vegetables such as green beans, snow peas, and okra. It is good to add a green colour to the dish.
How to make Swordfish Teriyaki
The process of making Swordfish Teriyaki is as simple as other Teriyaki dishes. See the video.
- Put oil in a frying pan and sauté both sides of the swordfish cutlets.
- Add the Teriyaki Sauce to the pan and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.
- Transfer the fish to a serving plate and place grated daikon on a shiso leaf next to the fish.
Because the quantity of the sauce is small, it is good to scoop up some sauce with a spoon and pour it over the surface of the fish while it is being cooked. It would be good to leave about 2 tablespoons of the Teriyaki Sauce in the pan so that you can pour the sauce over the fish when plating.
Come to think of it, my Swordfish Teriyaki Recipe is easier than my Teriyaki Chicken recipe. You don’t need to remove the oil from the pan before adding the teriyaki sauce and you don’t need to cut the fish into bite-size pieces. You can easily cut the fish up using chopsticks. The flesh is so soft and juicy.
It takes about 10 minutes to cook Swordfish Teriyaki. It goes so well with rice and miso soup.
Yumiko
Watch How To Make It
Salmon is one of the most eaten fish in Australia and you may eat salmon a lot. But how about trying Swordfish Teriyaki Recipe for a change? It is as simple as Teriyaki Salmon, but today’s teriyaki sauce is a little bit different, with grated ginger added to the sauce. Watch the video.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 2 swordfish cutlets (about 160g/5.6oz each, note 1)
- ½ tbsp oil
- 1½ tbsp sake
- 1½ tbsp mirin
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1½ tsp sugar
- 1½ tsp grated ginger
- 2 leaves shiso (perilla)
- 2 tbsp grated daikon (white radish)
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Mix the Teriyaki Sauce ingredients in a small jar or a bowl, ensuring that sugar is dissolved.
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If your swordfish cutlet came with skin on, trim the skin off the cutlet if you prefer (note 3).
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Put oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
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Pat-dry the swordfish pieces with kitchen paper and place them in the pan, and then move them around slightly so that the oil spreads beneath the fish pieces.
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Cook the fish for 2½ minutes until the lower part of the side of the cutlets starts getting cooked (the flesh becomes whitish) and the bottom of the cutlet is nicely browned.
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Flip them over and cook further 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the cutlet is nicely browned.
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Pour the Teriyaki Sauce over (note 4). If necessary, shake the pan to spread the sauce around the fish pieces. Use a spoon to scoop some sauce and pour it over the fish.
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When the sauce starts bubbling and reduces to a couple of tablespoons, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the heat to avoid further reduction of the sauce.
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Place the sword fish on a service tray, pour the Teriyaki Sauce over the fish. Place a perilla leaf next to it and put the grated daikon on it (note 5).
1. My swordfish was slightly less than 2cm/¾" thick. A thickness of about 2cm/¾" is the best to use since it is not too thick to cook while keeping the shape firmly. If the cutlet is too thin, it becomes easy to break when turning over.
Depending on the thickness of the cutlet, the cooking time needs adjustment.
2. You don’t have to use shiso and grated daikon, but grated daikon refreshes your palate and a shiso leaf adds a bright colour to the dish.
As an alternative, you can sauté sliced capsicum or blanch green vegetables such as green beans, snow peas, and okra. It is good to add a green colour to the dish.
3. The skin becomes rubbery when cooked, which is not pleasant to eat. But the skin keeps the flesh moist. Once cooked, the skin can come off easily.
4. You may want to mix the sauce again before pouring, ensuring that there is no sugar left at the bottom of the jar.
5. If the grated daikon is very watery, squeeze the water out before placing it on the shiso leaf.
6. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 202g calories: 323kcal fat: 14g (18%) saturated fat: 2.8g (14%) trans fat: 0.1g polyunsaturated fat: 2.5g monounsaturated fat: 7.3g cholesterol: 106mg (35%) sodium: 789mg (34%) carbohydrates: 9.7g (4%) dietary fibre: 0.1g (0%) sugar: 8.1g protein: 33g vitamin D: 22mcg (110%) calcium: 13mg (1%) iron: 0.8mg ( 5 %) potassium: 732mg (16%)
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup, and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
It is always good to serve a dish with vinegar when the main dish is sweet. I picked Harusame Salad to go with it. The other side dish is a simple pickled dish.
I think a miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed goes well with Swordfish Teriyaki.
- Main: Swordfish Teriyaki – today’s recipe.
- Side dish 1: Japanese Vermicelli Salad (Harusame Salad) – or other fresh salad.
- Side dish 2: Cabbage Salad Tossed in Shio Konbu – or other pickles.
- Soup: Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup – or a miso soup with your favourite ingredients.
- Rice: Cooked Rice.
Fantastic. Popped on top of a noodle soup… Thank you.
Hi Dee, that you. Your noodle soup sounds delicious!