Grilled swordfish with orange and anchovy

 This dish is one of my go-to quick and easy meals. It can be adapted to use any white fish. I have used fillets of orange roughy, blue grenadier and whiting in the past. These varieties only require cooking skin side down, as they are too delicate to turn over. Total grill time is around 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Without a doubt, though, my preference is to use swordfish for this dish. The meaty steaks remind me of lampuki - a wonderful fish found for a very short season in the Mediterranean and beloved by the Maltese. Lampuki season begins on 15 August – the Feast of St Mary - when a priest ceremonially blesses the boats before they set sail, and runs until the end of the year.

Swordfish steaks are usually 2-3 cm thick and are readily available from my local fishmonger. Swordfish should be cooked medium, like a steak. The outside should be flaky, and the inside can be eaten just cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 55°C. The meatiness of this fish pairs well with bold flavours such as capers, citrus and anchovies.

Anchovies can be a divisive ingredient. For many of my friends they are the crispy, furry bits they peel off pizza. But anchovies are a culinary delight, adding depth of flavour and richness to so many dishes. What would pintxos or tapas be without anchovies - especially the white anchovy, which has been pickled in vinegar rather than salt to maintain its white flesh? A simply grilled fresh anchovy, served with a caper and citrus dressing, is just amazing. Sadly, we can’t get fresh anchovies here in Australia. For the home cook, anchovies are usually purchased in jars or tins packed in either salt or oil. I prefer jars, which can be resealed, and those that use a good-quality oil. For this recipe you could leave them out and replace them with a couple of capers to achieve the salty balance, but you would be missing out on the depth of flavour the anchovies bring.

Serves 2

• 2 swordfish steaks
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 2 anchovy fillets
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Additional thin slices of orange

Crisp salad, to serve

Allow the fish to come to room temperature.

Using paper towel, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

Lightly grease a sheet of foil over the griller rack. Place the fish on the foil and brush generously with orange juice.

Grill on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Carefully turn over the steaks. Brush with more orange juice. Sprinkle about ½ tsp orange zest onto each steak and place an anchovy fillet in the centre of each.

Grill on medium for 3-4 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through, but still moist in the centre - internal temperature 55°C.

Remove to a serving platter and rest for 3-4 minutes.

Place a slice of twisted orange on each steak and serve with a crisp green salad.