Swordfish
The well-named swordfish has been returning to menus and fish markets in recent years, after nearly disappearing five or six years ago. The problem was the usual one: overfishing. However, management of the stocks in the Atlantic has brought swordfish populations up to nearly what they were two decades ago. If the program keeps up, the average size of swordfish, which is much smaller than it once was, will recover, too.
These are big fish. They can grow to be over a thousand pounds. A hundred to three hundred pounds is more common. A fish that big is not filleted, but steaked. A piece of swordfish resembles that of tuna in every way but color; the swordfish has a silvery bronze look.
Swordfish also is like tuna in the way it's typically cooked and served. Swordfish contains less fat than tuna, but for some reason it doesn't seem to dry out and get tough the way tuna does. So, if you're interested in a steak-like fish but don't like to eat medium-rare fish, swordfish is the fish for you. (Still, don't cook it to dry.)
While all kinds of restaurants serve swordfish, I've always found Italian chefs do the best work with the species. ("Pesce spada" is the Italian name for the fish.) Particularly when grilled and served with the light, herbal sauces made from olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and herbs, swordfish shows off its unique flavors best.
If there's a problem with eating swordfish, it's in its higher-than-average mercury content. It's at the top of the food chain, with very few enemies other than man. That's where the mercury goes. But it's no worse in that regard than tuna. Just don't eat it all the time.
