Swordfish with Buttery Mashed Potatoes and Baby Carrots

It’s getting warmer in Orlando, summer is almost here, and it’s time for white wine and lighter proteins. Yet Sunday supper still has to have a bit of richness, it is the weekend after all, so tonight we opened a nice bottle of white Burgundy and enjoyed pan seared swordfish with an herby sauce, buttery mashed potatoes, and lovely, simple baby carrots.

Ingredients
2 boneless swordfish fillets
2 tblsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
Zest of one lemon
1 cup white wine
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tblsp chopped fresh basil
salt/pepper, to taste

Start by preheating your oven to 300 F. Put the butter, garlic, herbs, a little olive oil and salt/pepper to taste in a small bowl. You want this mixture, as well as the cup of white wine, waiting to make your pan sauce. Then, pull out your swordfish. While it is coming to room temperature, season it with salt and pepper and put a tablespoon of oil into a skillet or frying pan (I used cast iron) and get it smoking hot. Place the swordfish in the pan and let it brown (it takes about 5 minutes).

Once you flip the fish, move the pan and the fish into the oven where it will need to cook for about 10 more minutes. Once the fish is cooked through, move it to a warm plate, covered, and deglaze the pan with your waiting glass of white wine. After you’ve scraped up any bits from the pan, add your bowl of herbs/butter/garlic/lemon zest and cook the mixture over high heat until it cooks down to a rich sauce. Spoon this over your swordfish fillets and serve.

Tonight, I served the swordfish with mashed potatoes and baby carrots (real baby carrots, not big carrots cut down to baby size). The carrots are a simple process, and create a not-too-sweet vegetable side dish that is light and lovely and sings real carrot flavor. Put the peeled/trimmed carrots in a saucepan with a little water, a tsp of sugar, and salt/pepper to taste. Put the lid on and cook until the carrots are just tender. then take off the lid and continue to cook on high heat for another minute or two to let the water/sugar reduce to a light sauce that coats the carrots.

As far as mashed potatoes are concerned. I have only a few tips that I use religiously when making mashed potatoes. First, I always use a ricer. This gives you smooth, fluffy, mashed potatoes with no gumminess or heaviness. If you’ve never seen/used a ricer, see below. Second, cook the potatoes in just enough water to cover them, no need to waste time and energy heating extra water in your pot. Third, when you drain the potatoes, pop them in a colander and add your milk and butter to the hot pan, placed back over low heat, then rice your potatoes straight on top of the milk and butter. I am generous with the butter in my mashed, and I also like mixing in creme fraiche or sour cream. Be careful with the sour cream though, if it gets too hot, it will curdle, not a concern with creme fraiche.

The final result was a perfect pairing with the wine. The swordfish was juicy and luscious, the herby sauce added acidity and brightness perfectly complemented by the creamy potatoes and vibrant carrots. All in all, a perfect Sunday supper.