Lidia's Swordfish with Lemon and Capers

Tuesday May 24

Once again, Barbara got this recipe from the TV show Lidia's Italy; it comes from Bagnara in Calabria. It's an odd way of cooking, but it works a treat, especially with Trader Joe's (defrosted) frozen swordfish steaks.

First, set up your cooking apparatus. You will need a small non-reactive baking pan big enough to hold the fish, a rack to hold that pan over an inch high, and a bigger metal pan that the rack can sit in, that is about 2 inches deep.

In the smaller pan, put a thin-sliced lemon, lotsa capers (2 Tbsp or more), some red pepper flakes, 2 cloves sliced garlic, salt, a big drizzle of good olive oil. Mix them around with your hands, the way Lidia does. Season swordfish steaks with salt and pepper, roll them about in the pan (with your hands, of course) and nestle them among but not under lemon mix.

Boil some water, and fill the larger pan with water an inch deep. Put the rack inside, and then the smaller pan on the rack; make sure it is above the water level. Cover the larger pan (with the smaller dish inside it) tightly with aluminum foil, and put it all into 425 degree oven to steam for about 12-15 minutes for inch-thick fish. At the end, sprinkle with dried oregano and drizzle on more salt and olive oil.

Luscious!