Has anyone made the Grilled Sesame Swordfish with Monterey Pesto (6/03)?

[catharine]

I am planning on making Grilled Sesame Swordfish with Monterey Pesto tomorrow, but I haven't seen any reviews. As I don't want to waste $18 worth of fish, I would love some reviews.

Thanks!

[miami]

I have stopped eating swordfish because I read that it has dangerously high mercury levels in it. I'm actually surprised that CL still runs recipes for it. Sounds like it would be good with trout or tuna though. Let us know what you think if you make it.

[kristalsnow7]

I haven't made it yet, but I remember it looked really good, and it was listed as a favorite by the editors. I actually don't like swordfish that much, so I would probably substitute halibut or snapper. If I recall, the grilled fish is sprinkled with sesame seeds and topped with a pesto sauce. It sounds pretty straightforward, and I can't imagine it would be 'bad'. Maybe you should give it a try!

[kwormann]

Id actually love to see that recipe... I have swordfish in the freezer and this sounds YUM!!!

[Tina V]

I made this recipe but I used bottled pesto from AG Ferrari. The swordfish came out really tasty and tender, I think it was the first time I made swordfish. I made it on my George Foreman grill even! The sesame flavor was really nice with it.

Miami - I read an article in Health magazine about mercury levels the day after I made the fish! I figure it's alright if you only consume those kinds of fish on very rare occasions, and otherwise I pretty much stick to salmon, tilapia, and shellfish.

Tina

[Pico]

I'm thinking of making this later this week, so I'd be grateful to hear how it goes, Catharine.

I do have some reservations about eating swordfish... but it's so tasty! I suppose it's worth the occasional mercury exposure. I've also read that it's rather overfished (unless I'm confusing it with another species), and I feel a bit guilty contributing to that. In any case, I only have it a few times a year--it was all my store had this week!

[Terrytx]

* Exported from MasterCook *

Grilled Sesame Swordfish with Monterey Bay Pesto

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Grilling Seafood


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 1/2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic
Fish:
6 (6 ounce) swordfish steaks (about 1 inch thick)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
cooking spray

Prepare grill.

To pepare sauce, combine the first 9 ingredients in a food processor; process until minced.

To prepare fish, rub fish with oil. Rub sesame seeds and salt evenly over fish. Place fish on grill rack coated with coiiking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

serving size: 1 steak and about 1 tablespoons sauce - 236 cal, 9.6g fat, 32.8g pro, 1.4g carb, 0.3g fiber, 64mf chol, 2.8mg iron, 594mg sod, 21mg calc.

Source:
"Cooking Light-6/03"


NOTES : You can prepare the sauce up to a day ahead, and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. But bring it back to room temperature before serving.

[kwormann]

Thank you sosososo much Terry I knew I could count on you

[Terrytx]

you are very welcome. Tell us if it's any good. I have had it on the menu 2 times, and still haven't made it.

[NewMrsG]

Just wanted to add something to the discussion about mercury levels in fish - it's my understanding that there are certain groups of people who should be more careful in limiting their consumption of fish with noted mercury levels - children, the elderly, and women of childbearing age. What I think is particularly compelling is that they are now saying that women planning to have children at any point in the future should avoid these specific species(?) of fish (used to just be women who are currently pregnant). A recent article can be found here http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/63/71864.htm (I hope that worked!)

[sbkclub]

Could you try posting the article on mercury again. I can't get the link to work and am interested in reading it.

Thanks.

[Shirley Panek]

Here's the link to the article:

Mercury Low in Women of Childbearing Age

[sbkclub]

Thank you. Never knew there was anything that might be unhealthy about fish. I guess I will try to limit swordfish.

[Pico]

Between all of the pros and cons of eating fish, what are they recommending? I've seen a few sources that suggest about three servings per week, but this article makes that seem too high. Or would that amount be okay if the fish was low on the mercury list? Thoughts?

[NewMrsG]

SOrry that link didn't work ...

I'm finding the whole mercury thing very confusing myself. I've read some articles that list a wider variety of fish/seafood that are higher in mercury than the article I linked (for example, tuna), and they all seem to give different recommendations in terms of how often is "safe" to eat them. My sense, though, is that for fish that's low in mercury, there isn't really a limit in terms of how often you can/should eat them, it's really only for those varieties that have higher levels of mercury.

And, I also have some sense that it varies depending on where the fish is caught. It's so much work! So I've been trying to mostly just stay away from the varieties on the list (although, as someone who eats very little red meat, I'm ticked that one more healthy thing is off my diet! I'd be so much better off if they found mercury in chocolate or fried foods ...

[sbkclub]

I have now done a search and discovered this for seafood:

Highest mercury levels: king mackerel, shark, swordfish, tilefish, tuna

In between/can be high in mercury: halibut, lobster, mahi-mahi, orange roughy, red snapper.

Lowest mercury levels: catfish, flounder, sole, salmon, sardines, shellfish (includes clams, crab, oysters and shrimp), tilapia.

I have to say I am surprised about tuna, and have always had a problem with salmon (for some reason not my taste). Still trying to find out about Grouper .. which is my favorite and am always looking for good recipies for (Hint Hint).

[catharine]

If anyone cares...

The fish came out pretty good. I liked the salt/sesame rub. My swordfish steaks were pretty thick, maybe about an inch and a half, so I cooked for 5 minutes on each side.

The pesto was kind of boring, but what did I expect from a recipe with no parmesean I must not have used enough herbs because it was very liquidy. But is was still good though probably not a repeater.

In answer to all of the helpful posts regarding mercury, like others, I decided that a little mercury once in a while won't kill me. Moderation, right? Although I am of childbearing age, I am not planning to be pregnant anytime soon. But thanks for all of the warnings.

[NewMrsG]

sbkclub: That's so helpful - thank you!! Where did you find that information? Would you mind posting the link? And did you happen to see anything recommending how often it might be okay to eat the varieties with higher mercury levels?

It's an interesting topic - especially given that it was my understanding that mercury levels go back down in your system pretty quickly once you stop eating food with high levels of mercury. So the advice to avoid certain types of fish entirely if you plan to conceive one day is a mystery to me ...

[sbkclub]

There is really no link. I got it from a couple of articles I searched. And sadly I found out that Grouper falls under the high mercury category. Tuna and Grouper ... my two favorites. From what I read I think it should be limited to once or twice a week.

[fldivegirl]

Originally posted by Pico
I'm thinking of making this later this week, so I'd be grateful to hear how it goes, Catharine.

I do have some reservations about eating swordfish... but it's so tasty! I suppose it's worth the occasional mercury exposure. I've also read that it's rather overfished (unless I'm confusing it with another species), and I feel a bit guilty contributing to that. In any case, I only have it a few times a year--it was all my store had this week!

Swordfish have been overfished and I too have wondered why CL includes recipes for swordfish. There are several fish that can easily be used in place of swordfish.
http://www.swordfish.com/swordfishfacts.html

[Pico]

Putting the mercury/overfishing issues aside for now, I finally got around to making this. A rather inconvenient rainstorm forced me to broil instead of grill, but the fish still turned out tender with a nice crisp exterior. I thought it was a bit too salty, though, even using only about half the amount it called for. Perhaps some of the salt would be lost on the grill? The pesto was quite good--thinner than most, but it worked well as a sauce. In fact, it was really tasty over the steamed zucchini I served alongside! We also had a CL Three Bean Salad with Balsamic Dressing (really old recipe).. all in all, a pretty good meal. My family liked the fish, but I'm not sure it's a repeater--heck, we don't need the mercury.