Citrus

Gremolata Using a Buddha’s Hand (with Swordfish)

Did you guys ever see that Iron Chef episode where Cat Cora pulls out the Buddha’s Hand and everyone (including me) was like “WTF is that”?  I’ve been looking for one of these ever since.  Our friend Tyson brought one over to our house last Thanksgiving as I remember and used the zest in his delicious homemade cranberry sauce.

Coming home late the other night, I decided to stop at Whole Foods to grab some things to cook with.  Per usual, I started in the produce and immediately saw them, a big pile of them - the Buddha’s Hand!  Cheap too, they were like $4/Pound, so I eagerly picked one up and thought about turning it into a garnish for fish.  I’ve been wanting to try this Gremolata recipe too, so why not put them together.  The Buddha’s Hand zest made for a great substitution to the typical lemon zest.

Gremolata is a very simple Italian garnish, traditionally served with Ossobuco - though since it incorporates citrus, I thought it could also accompany a hearty fish like Swordfish (which looked very good that day I must say).  Gremolata is simply a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon (Buddha’s hand, wink, wink) zest - though I decided to add some salt and a little olive oil just to give it some added seasoning and binding.

The first thing that I noticed about the stuff is that it’s intense on flavor!  The garlic and lemon really come through as you might expect and I sort of overused it on the fish.  Because of its strong flavors, I immediately saw why it’s served with the veal shanks in Ossobuco.  Don’t get me wrong, this worked ok, just be fairly conservative if you’re going to use your Gremolata on fish.  It would also go great on pork or steak, especially if seasoned with some hearty spices.

I served this alongside some delicious broccoli rabe with caramelized fennel and onions (recipe another day).  I really like serving the bitter greens with the sweet onions and fennel - makes for a great balance of flavors.

For the Gremolata:

• About 1/2 c. parsley
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest (or Buddha’s hand)
• 1 clove garlic - diced
• Pinch of salt
• A few drops of good extra virgin olive oil

Simply dice the parsley and garlic together.  Zest your lemon and add it to the mixture and continue to dice on your board until it comes together.  Add the salt and olive oil and combine.

For the Swordfish:

• 4 1/2 lb. swordfish steaks or 1 large 2 lb. fillet
• Sea salt
• White Pepper
• Paprika (optional)

In advance, season the fish and let rest while you prepare the other ingredients.  I recommend grilling the fish, though if no grill is available, just sear the fish in some olive oil and butter at high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness).  You really want that high heat to get some good color and crust on the fish.

Swordfish is one of those proteins that I HATE if it’s overcooked (who likes any meat overdone?), so ere on the side of under cooking and really let it rest once you pull it off the heat.  You can always put it back on the heat if it’s too raw, but you can’t make it more raw once it’s overdone!  As long as you make sure the fish is nice and fresh, it can be a little under cooked and it’s fine to eat (it will be more tender and succulent that way)!

Top the fish with some of the Gremolata, a side of vegetables or starch and salad and enjoy!

Serves 4

© 2008 The Fresh Dish.