Name: Swordfish Steaks With Peppercorn Butter
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature; 2 tsp. finely chopped parsley; ½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest; ½ tsp. freshly ground mixed pepper, plus more; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; Kosher salt; 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 4 6-oz. swordfish fillets (1" thick)

A panroasted swordfish on a plate with a side salad.

Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes

Bookmark this swordfish steak recipe for those times when you need to get an impressive meal on the table fast. Its complex flavors come not from hours in a marinade but from an easy compound butter seasoned with parsley, garlic, mixed peppercorns, and lemon zest. Make the elegant, garlicky sauce your own by using an additional clove of garlic, or swap out the peppercorn medley for all black pepper, green pepper, or white pepper as desired. Swap the lemon zest for orange peel for sweeter citrus flavors or grapefruit for more bitter ones. Substitute half or all the parsley for basil or thyme, or sprinkle in a pinch of finely chopped mint to amplify the Mediterranean vibes of this tender swordfish dinner.

A one-pan wonder, this easy swordfish recipe starts and ends on the stovetop, with a short stint in the oven. The meaty swordfish steaks will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat—the ideal internal temperature is between 130°F (for medium rare) and 145°F (for a well-done fish fillet)—so remove them when they’re just shy of your desired doneness. As the cooked fish rests, whip together the peppery butter sauce in the same skillet or sauté pan. Serve your pan-roasted swordfish supper with rice, lemony potatoes, or a simple green salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients

4 servings

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. finely chopped parsley

½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest

½ tsp. freshly ground mixed pepper, plus more

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 6-oz. swordfish fillets (1" thick)

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°. Mix 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 tsp. finely chopped parsley, ½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest, ½ tsp. freshly ground mixed pepper, and 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, in a small bowl to combine. Season with kosher salt; set aside.
Step 2
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Season four 6-oz. swordfish fillets (1" thick) with salt and mixed pepper. Cook swordfish until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until swordfish is just cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to plates.
Step 3
Set skillet over medium-high heat and add reserved butter mixture. Cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon, until melted and bubbling. Immediately pour butter sauce over swordfish.

Editor’s note: This swordfish steak recipe was first printed in August 2005 as “Pan-Roasted Swordfish Steaks with Mixed-Peppercorn Butter.” Head this way for more of our best fish recipes →

Leave a Review

Reviews (254)

Delicious!
- Anonymous
- 3/11/2024
Garlic, butter, pepper and lemon. How could you go wrong?!?! YUM.
- Anonymous
- Annapolis, MD
- 1/12/2024
Delicious!
- Anonymous
- 1/8/2024
A question: can Chilean sea bass be used instead of halibut?
- Laure Scala
- Bayside, NY
- 11/7/2022
Wonderfully simple recipe, which is how any fish should be prepared. I did make a few changes, though. I seared the swordfish in a cast iron pan with both olive oil and a pat of butter. After turning it over, I added all of the other ingredients with the addition of some sliced shallots and cooked for 8 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Meanwhile, I cooked some linguini. After the fish was plated, I tossed the cooked linguini in the pan to mix with the parsley, lemon peel, butter, garlic, and shallots. I used a bit more lemon peel, parsley and garlic than this recipe called for, too. The result was delicious and so simple to prepare.
- Debbie Kearns
- Saratoga Springs, NY
- 8/28/2022
I make this dish at least once a month. It is SO easy and it turns out near restaurant quality. If I place it in the oven the full 10 minutes, its usually a little over cooked, so closer to 8 works best for me. Also, I don't bother to make the butter mixture. I don't quite understand the purpose since it goes into a hot pan. I just prep the ingredients and add them all at once after removing the fish (and I just use black peppercorns). I serve this with mashed potatoes, fresh pasta or fresh corn polenta and all are great accompaniments. (I usually add red pepper flakes and lemon juice or wine to the sauce, and a pinch of parmesan on top if serving with pasta!) We are lucky enough to have a fish monger that travels weekly to the coast to pick up fresh food and we get nice, thick portions each time but I wouldn't hesitate to make this with frozen fish if that's all that's available to you.
- LR
- Texas
- 8/5/2022
So simple, so perfectly delicious, it's everything a fish dish should be. Seafood can be intimidating for some, but even a novice can make this impressive dish, perfect for a Wednesday night or company. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
- Mary A
- Maryville TN
- 6/9/2022
This recipe is a favorite among the fish eaters in our house. We usually thaw a few Trader Joe’s frozen swordfish steaks, which are probably just under an inch thick, and the optimal oven time seems to be 8 min. We use more garlic than specified, and add lemon juice to the sauce. A standard for us.
- Westchester NY
- Westchester NY
- 1/29/2022
Crazy delicious. I had about eight roasted garlic cloves that I through in the butter and increased the lemon zest to about 1T. Deglazed the pan with a couple splashes of Grenache since that's what was in my glass at the time. Roasted 8 minutes and pulled it out and the temp went up to 137. A smidgen on the dry side. Next time I'll eat at 135.
- Maura
- Central CA
- 1/25/2022
This is our go-to recipe for swordfish. Delicious!
- Sean McG
- 1/9/2022
Easy and delicious!!!
- mshphd
- San Diego, CA
- 12/1/2021
This was absolutely delicious! My husband is not a fan of fish and he asked me when I was going to make this again. Which is actually tomorrow night.
- This was absolutely delicious! My husband is not a fan of fish and he asked me when I was going to make this again. Which is actually tomorrow night.
- New York
- 10/29/2021
I pan fried the swordfish and sautéed the onion and peppers and heated the butter garlic parsley lemon zest and juice Then took out of oven and added all Best swordfish I have eaten Delicious Tasty Flavourful And easy
- SarahB
- Puslinch Ontario Canada
- 9/23/2021
Delicious! I like the method of searing in a well seasoned, cast iron frying pan on the stovetop and finishing in the oven. I added some sliced onion and bell pepper to the frying pan to top the fish along with the butter sauce.
- Whit
- Stonington, CT
- 9/8/2021
This was easy, not too messy and turned out very nice. My steaks were a little thinner and would have benefitted from a shorter oven time. But it was still juicy and savory. Served with Lemon Thyme rice and sautéed zucchini in a roasted garlic butter.
- Jon Gilbert
- Springfield Missouri
- 8/28/2021