Swordfish in Orange Sauce

Name: Swordfish in Orange Sauce
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 x 200g sashimi-grade swordfish steaks; 1 large orange (or 1 1/2 smaller oranges); 1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth; 2 teaspoons honey; 2 teaspoons agrodolce red wine vinegar; 40g cold butter, diced; Splash Cointreau or brandy (optional)

I find that meaty swordfish has quite an affinity with orange. This recipe was inspired by duck à l’orange, so you can call it poisson à l’orange if you want to be fancy. Swordfish has a tendency to dry out if overcooked, so I prefer to buy sashimi-grade fish and keep it slightly rare in the centre; remember that it will continue to cook in the residual heat once removed from the pan, especially while staying warm in the oven. Serve swordfish in orange sauce with plenty of crusty bread and some braised cos lettuce if you like, to keep the French theme going (see video below), and a glass or two of delicious Loire muscadet, like the Gabbro from innovative young winemaker Jérôme Bretaudeau.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x 200g sashimi-grade swordfish steaks
1 large orange (or 1 ½ smaller oranges)
Salt flakes and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
¼ cup dry white wine or vermouth
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons agrodolce red wine vinegar
40g cold butter, diced
Splash Cointreau or brandy (optional)
Crusty bread, for serving

Method

Remove fish from fridge 30–60 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 100°C.
Zest orange then segment it (see video below and details here), squeezing the membrane well to extract as much juice as possible. You’ll need about ¼ cup of juice, so juice another half orange if necessary.
Pat fish dry with paper towel then salt generously.
Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat.
Add half the butter and, when melted, add the fish.
Cook for 2–3 minutes, until well coloured, then turn over and cook the other side for just a minute (or until cooked to your liking).
Remove to a serving platter and place in the oven to keep warm.
Add wine to the pan, increase heat and bring to the boil, stirring to remove any bits stuck to the base of the pan.
When wine has reduced by half, add orange juice and zest, honey and vinegar and boil for a few minutes, until reduced by half.
Taste and add salt and pepper.
Remove from heat, beat in cold butter then stir in orange segments (adding a splash of Cointreau or brandy if you like).
Pour over the fish and serve with crusty bread to soak up all the delicious sauce.