Perfect Recipe For Grilled Swordfish with Mayonnaise

Need a recipe for grilled swordfish?

I’m guessing that grilled swordfish may have been the first fish I ever ate.

Growing up in the Midwest limited the amount of seafood I had as a child.

We probably ate walleye and maybe some salmon, and fish sticks, but that was about it until the Jewel came to town and practically shut down my grandfather’s grocery.

Primarily we were a meat eating family and that worked well for us, well that is until my father had his first heart attack at the age of 42.

It was blamed on high cholesterol levels which translated back then to eating a lot of beef.

Luckily he was in pretty good shape, but that wake up call helped change our diet.

And that was also about the time that Jewel moved to town so we were able to buy greater varieties of fish.

Swordfish steaks were very popular then I’m guessing, because they are a very meaty fish.

It is thick, rich and steak like, so I am guessing that helped coerce meat lovers into trying it.

Overfishing of swordfish quickly reduced the catch and fisherman were banned from harvesting them in the 1990’s.

The poor, gorgeous Atlantic swordfish needed help.

Well, guess what? Swordfish are back and now being sustainably caught, says the NOAA. 

Whole Foods swordfish is harpoon fished and individually caught off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Whole Foods works with the Marine Stewardship Council, a non profit organization, to make sure the fish we eat conforms to its practices. 

Swordfish isn’t inexpensive, but there is very little waste when eating a massive swordfish steak.

Manservant and I each had a half pound steak and it was enough. More than enough.

Swordfish is perfect grilling material in the summer months.

We ate ours on top of a superb salad, but you could easily just grill this and serve it with pasta, rice or potatoes.

You could even put it on a bun and have a super swordfish burger!

The Mayonnaise Trick for Recipe for Grilled Swordfish with Mayonnaise

Following a friend’s practice, I like to coat my fish with a mayonnaise mixture which helps prevent the fish from sticking to the grill.

There is no taste of the mayonnaise in the finished product and it’s much easier to use than oiling the fish or grill.

The “mayonnaise method” can be applied to any fish that tends to dry out when being roasted or grilled.

This swordfish marinade combines mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, lemon zest and oregano.

No added olive oil but remember that mayonnaise is just eggs and olive oil and lemon juice.

It doesn’t get much easier than that and that’s why this has become one of my favorite recipes.

Be sure to coat the bottom and top and the sides of the swordfish and let the coated swordfish steaks sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours.

Make sure to look for 1-inch-thick steaks and keep in mind that if you don’t want to grill you can always make roasted swordfish.

Heat grill to medium high heat and be sure to clean and oil the grill grates.

Cook this recipe for grilled swordfish with mayonnaise for 6 minutes on the first side and then flip and grill the second side for 4 minutes.

Don’t overcook or swordfish can become dry.

Other Ways to Use This Mayonnaise Marinade for Swordfish:

I made a simple lemon balsamic oregano dressing or a dollop of my lemon oregano pesto would taste great, too.

Using some of my favorite ingredients from the olive bar I made a simple kale salad to serve this mild tasting fish on but your favorite greens would work also.

This simple mayonnaise mixture can also be used with tuna steaks, salmon steaks or codfish steaks.

Truthfully it is wonderful for grilling shrimp, too!

If you want to make more of the mayonnaise marinade, throw in a few capers and you have a delicious caper mayonnaise sauce.

Dpn’t feel like prepping the vinaigrette or making some extra mayonnaise? A little olive oil drizzled on top of the cooked fish is just perfect.

But if you did make extra mayonnaise, the remaining sauce is great mixed in with leftover cooked swordfish.

Think swordfish salad, not tunafish salad!

Serve the hot grilled swordfish steaks with extra lemon wedges.

Yes it gives the cooked fish flavor and also helps keep the fish moist.

Don’t like lemon? Lime juice can also be used, but it does change the flavor profile.

Bet you love these examples for grilled swordfish recipes with mayonnaise.

If you do anything though I encourage you to try the mayonnaise method.

Mayonnaise on fish is good and it can also be used on skinless chicken breasts to keep them moist, too.

Works every time!

Other recipes to try:

Swordfish recipes from Whole Foods

Miso Peppered Tuna

Tartar Sauce

This is an updated post from 2015.