Sooo I was cooking up a little welcome home feast for myself last night. It felt good to be back in my own kitchen to cook in my shorts & tee shirt there is no better feeling.
Anyways lets talk food for real. Thought of this while I was in the food market (like I do with most of my meals). The only fish that looked appealing at the moment was the swordfish. So I figured I would challenge myself a little bit & pull out all the stops.
The dish, Swordfish w. butternut squash purée roasted shiitake mushrooms baby bok choy & brown sugar bacon. I can’t even begin to explain how great it felt to pull this dish off. Since the texture of swordfish is more meaty than a delicate fish like Halibut I knew the bacon would work perfect. The smooth rich flavor of the squash purée along with the earthiness of the mushrooms & the sweet yet salty bacon make your taste buds tingle.
Ingredients
Swordfish steaks- 2 each
Butternut Squash- 1 medium size
Leeks-1 each
Shiitake Mushrooms- 20 each
Baby Bok Choy- 1 head
Uncured Bacon- 5 thick cut slabs
Thyme- 1 small bunch
Garlic- 3 cloves
Butter- 4 Tbsp butter
Light Brown Sugar- ¼ cup
Maple Syrup- 3 Tbsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
S& P
Method
1. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the bok choy in the water for 15 seconds then remove & run under cold water.
2. Peel and dice the butternut squash. Season with salt & pepper. Along with the butter add to a medium size sautee pan cook on medium heat until butter is melted. Add ½ cup of water cover and cook the squash until it is fork tender.
3. In a blender. Add the squash and butter mixer and puree until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Wash the leeks & split down the middle. Peel away the 3 inner layers of the leek & slice thinly.
5. Cut the slabs of bacon into 4 or 5 equal size sections per piece.
6. In a pan on medium heat, add the bacon and render the fat until crispy
7. Remove the fat from the pan then add the maple syrup and brown sugar. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the bacon is well coated & remains with a crunch.
8. In a smoking hot pan. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil & the mushrooms roast until brown.
9. Turn the burner down to medium high heat. Add the garlic, thyme and leeks. Cook until the leeks are soft. Add the bok choy then remove the garlic & thyme.
10. Season the swordfish with salt & pepper. Place in a smoking hot pan w. 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Sear on both sides until golden brown. Place in the oven for 6 mins or until the fish is cooked through.
11. To plate, place 2 generous spoonfuls of the puree on the bottom of the plate. After, the mushrooms & bok choy on top of the squash. Followed by the swordfish on top of the vegetables. Finish with the brown sugar bacon on top of the swordfish.
I’m going to work on my recipe descriptions for any posts I make in the future. Thanks again for tuning in and happy cooking!
Over & Out
Chef P
