Swordfish has a firm ‘meaty’ texture that gravitates in the direction more like a steak to me, than seafood.  The rule of thumb for baking fish is to allow 10 minutes of cooking time for every inch of thickness. That rule is an especially easy guide with steaks of swordfish or tuna because they’re typically cut to a thickness of 1 inch and therefore require only 10 minutes of cooking.

When it came to what I wanted to pair with the swordfish, I decided crispy bacon, roasted garlic, and nutty lentils would be perfect companions. This meal was a nice healthy, hearty winter weekend dinner packed with lots of great flavors.

Ingredients:

4 swordfish steaks
4 strips bacon, chopped
3 cloves of minced, roasted garlic
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2- 1/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 – 1/4 cups lentils
1 cup tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Zest and juice of one lemon

Directions:

1) In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until browned. Pour off and reserve all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook over moderate heat, frequently stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes.

2) Add the lentils, broth, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are just tender about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the black pepper.

3) Heat the oven to 400°. Brush or spray the steaks lightly with oil and season with the salt and pepper. Arrange the steaks on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake the steaks for 10 minutes.

4) To serve, spoon the lentils onto the center of a plate and place one of the swordfish steaks on top. Finish with lemon zest and a squeeze of juice.