Marinated Grilled Swordfish with Olive Chimichurri

By: Stephanie

Posted: 05/01/24 Updated: 05/01/24

Simple grilled swordfish steaks for weeknights, BBQs, and more! This recipe starts with a 15-minute lemony marinade to season and tenderize the fish before grilling for a smoky char. Perfectly tender, succulent results in no time (step-by-step instructions included!). Serve with a briny olive chimichurri and charred lemons.

Swordfish has a meaty, steak-like quality that makes it the perfect fish to grill! But don’t let this fancy-feeling protein intimidate you – I promise it’s easier than you think.

I first learned how to grill swordfish during summers on Long Island. One of my favorite local fish markets there has the best swordfish that’s so fresh, it’s impossible to resist. This is the grilled swordfish recipe I’ve been perfecting over the years. The result is always flawless, juicy, flaky fish.

My trick is to start with a simple marinade made with lemon juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, and garlic. It infuses tons of flavor and tenderizes the swordfish, helping it stay juicy as the steaks hit the hot grill. 

The smoky heat then cooks the grilled steaks until tender. Using a thermometer and letting the grilled swordfish rest off the grill is key to perfectly succulent results. I’ll walk you through every step below!

Why This Grilled Swordfish Recipe Works

You’ll love these simple grilled swordfish steaks because… 

• Meaty swordfish is easy to grill. This thick, firm fish chars beautifully on the grill and cooks in about 10 minutes.
• Swordfish steaks absorb lots of flavor FAST. A quick 15-minute marinade infuses the swordfish with lots of bright, garlicky flavor – no plain fish here!
• It has the perfect topping. A quick chimichurri made with green olives, herbs, and Fresno peppers adds a punch of briny juiciness. It’s the perfect touch with flaky, smoky fish. 

Swordfish Shopping Tips

This is a large variety of fish! So you’ll most commonly find swordfish available in smaller “steak” portions. You should look for swordfish steaks that are a light cream or gentle pink-ivory color – this is a sign of good quality, fresh fish. You may also see a more orange-peach color swordfish (known as pumpkin swordfish). Its coloring comes from eating more shrimp and krill.

The best swordfish thickness for grilling is a cut about 1- 1 ½ inches thick. Any thinner and the swordfish steaks can fall apart on the grill. Thicker swordfish will take much longer to cook. Every inch of thickness requires about 10 minutes of cooking.

How to Grill Swordfish Perfectly 

I’ve perfected this simple grilled swordfish method over countless summers to ensure the results are always flawless. Here’s how it’s done: 

Step 1: Make the swordfish marinade

Combine the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour it into a shallow dish or ziplock bag with the swordfish and let it soak while you preheat the grill. This should only take 15 minutes – any longer and the acidity in the marinade will start to impact the texture of the fish.

Step 2: Grill!

Place the marinated swordfish on the grates of a 400-degree F grill, along with some halved lemons. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. The fish should be firm yet flaky and no longer translucent. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature for the most accurate cooking time. I always aim for 130 degrees F.

Step 3: Rest the grilled swordfish

Remove the lemons and grilled swordfish from the heat and let the fish rest for about 10 minutes. The carry-over heat will gently bring the swordfish to its ideal temperature, similar to other cuts of meat like chicken or steak. It should rise to about 140 degrees F for serving.

Grilled Swordfish Temperatures

I recommend grilling swordfish to a medium temperature for perfectly flaky and tender results. Remove the fish from the grill at the following temperatures based on your preference:

• 130°F (54°C) for medium
• 135°F (57°C) for medium-well
• 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) for well-done

3 Tips for Succulent Grilled Swordfish

Too often swordfish is overcooked and dry. But you can achieve perfectly juicy, tender swordfish by focusing on 3 important steps:

1. Quickly marinate the fish. This tenderizes the swordfish and helps it keep its moisture. But it only takes 15 minutes! If you marinate too long, the acid will start to break down the fish.
2. Go by temperature. Always use an instant-read thermometer to keep an eye on the grilled swordfish. You should aim for a medium 130 degrees F. 
3. Let the swordfish rest. Like other meat, the swordfish will keep cooking when it comes off the grill. Resting redistributes its juices so the fish is super tender.

Serve with Olive Chimichurri and Grilled Lemons

I always serve grilled swordfish with a big spoonful of olive chimichurri. It adds a pop of briny freshness that’s perfect with the fish!

To make it, combine roughly chopped green olives, minced garlic, chopped Fresno peppers, parsley, and cilantro. Then douse it all in tangy red wine vinegar and bright lemon zest. Done in a few minutes!

And don’t forget about your grilled lemons! Use them to squeeze some smoky brightness over your plate of swordfish – the perfect finishing touch.

Leftover Tips

It’s best to use your oven to reheat leftover grilled swordfish. Preheat it to 350 degrees F and place the fish on a sheet pan loosely tented with foil to help retain moisture. The gentle heat will ensure the fish stays as juicy as when it came off the grill. 

If you love this Marinated Grilled Swordfish with Olive Chimichurri, be sure to also check out other grilling season favorites like my Grilled Mojo Chicken and Grilled Lobster Tail with Garlic Herb Butter.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @girlwiththeironcast or hashtag #girlwiththeironcast so I can see your creations!

5 from 1 vote

Marinated Grilled Swordfish with Olive Chimichurri

Simple grilled swordfish steaks for weeknights, BBQs, and more! This recipe starts with a 15-minute lemony dijon garlic marinade to season and tenderize the swordfish before grilling for a smoky char. Perfectly tender, succulent results in no time (step-by-step instructions included!). Serve with a briny olive chimichurri and charred lemons for the perfect swordfish bite!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 12 minutes mins

Total: 27 minutes mins

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2 steaks

Ingredients

Swordfish

• ▢ 2- 1 to 1 1/2 inch swordfish steaks
• ▢ 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tsp chopped parsley
• ▢ 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1/8 tsp ground black Pepper
• ▢ 1 whole lemon (cut in half)

Olive Chimichurri

• ▢ 8 pitted green olives (crushed, then roughly chopped)
• ▢ 1 clove garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 Fresno pepper (seeds removed, minced)
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• ▢ 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp lemon zest ( from marinade lemon)
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ⅛ tsp ground black pepper

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Equipment

• ▢
  1 Microplane
• ▢
  1 Stainless Steel Tongs
• ▢
  1 Outset Heavy Duty Grill Spatula

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Instructions

Swordfish

• In a small bowl whisk together the following marinade ingredients: 2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 cloves finely minced, 1 tsp chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp kosher Salt, 1/8 tsp ground black Pepper.
• Pour marinade onto a plate or into a ziplock bag. Add the swordfish into the marinate and toss the swordfish around in the marinade until it is fully coated. Marinate for 15-20 min while the grill preheats.
• Preheat the grill to 425°F. Ensure your grill grates are clean.
• Once the grill has preheated for about 15 minutes place swordfish on grill grates. Lower the heat to 400°F. Place lemons cut side down on the grill to get a nice char.
• Cook the swordfish for about 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. A thermometer is highly recommended when cooking swordfish so you do not over or undercook the swordfish. A good rule of thumb to follow is 10 minutes per every inch of thickness. But a thermometer will be the best measure because of so many outside elements that can affect the cook time.
• When you flip the swordfish use a spatula to loosen the bottom prior to flipping. Check your lemons and see if they have charred enough, remove and set aside.
• Remove the swordfish once it is at 130-135°F, while it rises it will rise in temperature to 140-145°F. If you go over this temperature it will result in a dried out swordfish.
• Allow the swordfish to rest for 10 minutes. While it rests prepare the olive chimichurri below.
• Serve by drizzling the olive chimichurri over the top and the grilled lemon on the side to squeeze over top. Enjoy!

Olive chimichurri

• In a small bowl add all of the chimichurri ingredients and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Notes

• Let the swordfish rest. Like other meat, the swordfish will keep cooking when it comes off the grill. Resting redistributes its juices so the fish is super tender.
• I recommend grilling swordfish to a medium temperature for perfectly flaky and tender results. Remove the fish from the grill at the following temperatures based on your preference, then the temperature will continue to climb as it rests:
  • 130°F (54°C) for medium
  • 135°F (57°C) for medium-well
  • 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) for well-done
• The ideal thickness of swordfish is 1- 1 ½ inches. Any thinner and the swordfish can fall apart and any thicker the swordfish will take longer to cook. If your swordfish is thicker than 1 ½ inches, after cooking each side for 6 minutes over the flame, move it over indirect heat to finish cooking through.
• Only marinate swordfish for 15-20 minutes. I have found if you marinate the fish longer it will begin to break down and affect the texture.
• To reheat swordfish, heat the oven to 350F. Place swordfish on a sheet pan and cover in foil to keep the swordfish from drying out. Cook for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2, Calories: 297kcal (15%)

© Author: Stephanie