As a young adult, I was never the greatest fisherman (fisherwoman?), but I was still a popular choice to accompany mates as we dangled a line and indulged in a beer (or three). There was a reason for this of course, unlike my mates, I knew what to do with the little buggers once we’d caught one. Cleaning and gutting fish is an underrated aspect of fishing!
Like so many things in life, I learned to prepare fish this way from my Mum. As a child I would peer over the kitchen sink, standing on tippy toes, watching Mum as she cleaned and gutted a fish. It might sound a bit gruesome, but I always found it fascinating! Mum would always try to make our time together in the kitchen fun and interesting, and this was no different – she’d find the fish’s stomach and we’d examine the contents to determine what the fish had been eating.
This swordfish recipe features the flavours I grew up with, Greek oregano, lemon juice and olive oil. The Greek Holy Trinity of cooking. So if you try just one of my recipes, make sure it’s this one!
The fish combined with the freshness of the fennel are a match made in heaven. Also, I challenge any person who would usually banish red onion to the side of their plate to give this one a try. Like Mum, I put a high value on taste and health, so garlic and onion are eaten almost everyday. But with this recipe I’ve slightly pickled the red onion, so it’s very mellow; that pungent and lingering aftertaste is eliminated, so the fish really is the star here.
