Swordfish-like Steak with Crispy Capers by Alison Roman

I made this dish — well, actually my brother mostly made this dish — using a .4 lb. swordfish steak, which we split between 6 people. I’m at the point where I’ve eaten more seafood in one year than I have in my entire lifetime, so I was not about to buy 16 oz. of swordfish. 

Swordfish itself is rather dense, on the drier side, and dons a distinctly fishy taste. It’s not a personal favorite. Neither is it a favorite of my family members, who generally stay away from anything fishy and stick to the occasional salmon filet once or twice a year. (We’re from coastal Orange County and we still don’t have a pallet for seafood!) But somehow, each family member enjoyed their bite of this fish. I think, because it was dominated by salty, buttery, and briny flavors. The fishiness hit last. 

The assembly is rather simple. Season the swordfish with salt and pepper, and sear it in a skillet until golden brown on each side. Then add butter, a smashed garlic clove, an anchovy, and chopped capers. Let the butter melt, then use it to baste the fish, scooping it up and over the steak for several minutes. The whole process takes about 12 minutes. 

The fish was like a salty umami bomb. I’d recommend forgoing the anchovy in this case. It seemed to be what put the fish over the edge in the salt category. Everyone enjoyed their one bite, remarking that that was all they needed to enjoy the fish. 

215 recipes cooked, 10 to go.

Cold Garlicky Pasta with Capers and Salsa Verde by Alison Roman

I used to hate leftover pasta. I hated the way the noodles felt mildly rubbery after I reheated them. I didn’t like how they lost some of their flavor, especially when they had sauce on them and the noodles sort of absorbed the sauce. 

And then I became an adult, responsible for cooking my own meals. Which meant I started loving leftovers — even leftover pasta. Make pasta once, eat it two, maybe three times? Sounds good to me. I typically combine my noodles with sauce before storing them in the fridge, but this recipe might change that. 

I confess I didn’t have any plain leftover pasta on hand, so I cooked TJ’s brown rice spaghetti and rinsed it in cold water and a bit of olive oil to give it that *leftovers* effect. While the pasta boiled, I prepared Another Salsa Verde, which includes finely chopped shallot, finely chopped cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. I threw in some Aleppo pepper as well for good measure. If you have a sharp knife, there’s truly no need to use a food processor here. The time it takes to finely chop the herbs is the same amount of time it takes to clean and put away the food processor, so why not just use your knife. This “salsa verde,” as I mentioned before when I made Alison’s Turmeric Roasted Lamb, is shockingly delicious for how simple the ingredients are. And though there’s no tomatillo or jalapeño to be found, like a real salsa verde, my first instinct was to dip a tortilla chip in it. Somehow, it just works. 

After the pasta had cooled, I heated the sliced garlic in olive oil, and quickly added chopped capers as well. The goal is not to let the garlic get too toasty, but just a hint of brown. Finally, I placed chopped kale in the skillet to let it barely wilt before pouring the entire mixture over the cold pasta. I used up all the salsa verde I made, topping the pasta and tossing it all together with tongs. A squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of flaky salt, and we were set. A smattering of flavors perfectly suited for my palate. 

I will say that this pasta alone wasn’t quite enough to leave Jordan and I feeling full, so we cooked two Italian chicken sausages to go on the side. This dish is a little more involved than a typical leftover meal night, but boy is it worth it. 

208 recipes cooked, 17 to go.