This recipe is from the Celebrating with Julienne cookbook, which is a restaurant in San Marino, CA. My friend Mary Ann had an incredibly elegant dinner party a few months ago and made this Swordfish. No on has formal dinner parties anymore. So many people put in “high-end” kitchens in their homes and never entertain. Mary Ann made everything seem effortless, but it was due to her advance planning and preparation. You could actually do this with different kinds of fish or chicken.
Here is what she said:
“I make the sauce ahead of time and fry the capers ahead of time. For the fish I brown in pan and set aside in refrigerator if I do in the morning. I finish off in the oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. This allows me to enjoy my guests.”
Parmesan Crusted Swordfish with Lemon and Crispy Caper Sauce
Serves 6
Sauce and Fried Capers
2 cups dry vermouth
2 shallots, minced
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs plus 1/4 cup capers, drained & divided
1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs chives, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
canola oil, for frying
Swordfish
1 1/4 cups flour, divided
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 Tbs garlic, minced
1 Tbs parsley, minced
1 cpu heavy cream
2 eggs
6 – 6 oz swordfish steaks, 3/4” thick
2 Tbs butter
4 Tbs olive oil
chives, minced for garnish
To make the sauce
Combine the vermouth and shallots in a heavy medium saucepan and simmer over high heat until it is reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce thickens and reduces slightly, about 5 minutes longer. Strain the sauce into a small saucepan. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the capers, and the lemon juice, chives and garlic. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cover sauce and keep warm.
Fry the capers
Pour enough canola oil into a small saucepan to reach a depth of 1 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of capers and fry until the puff and become crisp, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the capers to paper towels to drain any excess oil.
Prepare the swordfish
Mix 1 cup of flour, 2 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper to blend in a shallow dish. Mix the Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, remaining 1/4 cup of flour, and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt in another shallow dish to blend. Whisk the cream and eggs in a third shallow dish to blend.
Dredge the fish in the flour and coat completely. Shake off the excess flour, then dredge it in the egg mixture, then dredge it in the Parmesan mixture. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add coated fish and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn fish over and cook until they are opaque in the center and golden, about 2 minutes.
Transfer fish to plates. Spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with fried capers and chives.
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