Chef Graziella
Anguilla Arrosto alla Comacchiese
The legendary roasted eel of Comacchio, where the brackish lagoons of the Po Delta have produced Italy's finest anguilla for two thousand years. Bay leaves, salt, fire. Nothing more.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Pesce Spada alla Ghiotta
Created by
Swordfish braised in the robust sauce of Messina, where tomatoes, capers, olives, and celery create the unmistakable flavor of Sicilian coastal cooking. The Strait of Messina on your plate.
Main Dishes
Italian, Sicilian
Weeknight
Dinner Party
20 min
Active Time
25 min cook•45 min total
Yield4 servings
Ghiotta is Sicilian dialect for gluttonous, for greedy, for unable to resist. When you taste this sauce with its sharp capers, briny olives, and sweet tomatoes, you will understand the name. The fishermen of Messina have cooked their catch this way for generations, turning the swordfish that swims through the strait into something that makes you forget your manners.
Swordfish is the king of Sicilian waters. In Messina, they hunt it from traditional boats called feluche, spotting the fish from tall masts and harpooning them by hand. This is not industrial fishing. It is an ancient practice, and the cooks of Messina honor that tradition by treating the fish with respect: a quick braise in a sauce that complements without overwhelming.
The sauce comes together quickly, which is correct for fresh fish. You build it while the swordfish comes to room temperature, then nestle the steaks into the simmering tomatoes and let them cook covered, absorbing the flavors of the sea and the land. Simple does not mean easy. The timing matters. The fish tells you when it is done.
The ghiotta sauce of Messina evolved from the pantry of Sicilian fishing families: tomatoes from the volcanic soil of Etna, capers from Pantelleria, olives from the groves that cover the island's hills. Swordfish hunting in the Strait of Messina dates to Greek colonization, and the fishermen who still practice it use techniques essentially unchanged for two thousand years.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
swordfish steaks
Quantity
4 (about 6 ounces each, 3/4 inch thick)
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/3 cup
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
sliced thin
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
2
stalks sliced thin, leaves reserved
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
sliced thin
San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
large green olives
Quantity
1/4 cup
pitted and halved
capers
Quantity
2 tablespoons
rinsed if salt-packed
pine nuts
Quantity
2 tablespoons
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
crushed red pepper flakes
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| swordfish steaks | 4 (about 6 ounces each, 3/4 inch thick) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup |
| yellow onionsliced thin | 1 medium |
| celery stalks with leavesstalks sliced thin, leaves reserved | 2 |
| garlic clovessliced thin | 2 |
| San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| large green olivespitted and halved | 1/4 cup |
| capersrinsed if salt-packed | 2 tablespoons |
| pine nuts | 2 tablespoons |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| crushed red pepper flakes | 1/4 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Large sauté pan or braiser with lid (12-inch)
- •Fish spatula for turning delicate steaks
Instructions
- 1
Season the fish
Remove the swordfish from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Cold fish will not cook evenly. Pat the steaks completely dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside while you build the sauce.
- 2
Build the ghiotta base
In a sauté pan large enough to hold the fish in a single layer, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the sliced garlic and cook one minute more. The garlic should turn fragrant but never brown.
The celery is essential to ghiotta. It provides a clean, vegetal note that balances the brininess of the capers and olives. Do not omit it. - 3
Add the sauce components
Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, capers, pine nuts, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Pour in the white wine. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the raw alcohol smell disappears. Taste and adjust the salt. Remember that the capers and olives contribute salt.
- 4
Cook the swordfish
Nestle the seasoned swordfish steaks into the sauce in a single layer. Spoon some of the sauce over the top of each steak. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, carefully turn the steaks, and spoon more sauce over them. Cover again and cook until the fish is just opaque throughout, another 4 to 6 minutes depending on thickness.
Swordfish should remain slightly translucent at the very center when you remove it from the heat. It will continue cooking from residual heat. Overcooked swordfish becomes dry and fibrous. - 5
Serve immediately
Transfer each swordfish steak to a warm plate. Spoon the ghiotta sauce generously over and around the fish. Scatter the chopped parsley and reserved celery leaves on top. Serve at once with crusty bread to capture every drop of sauce. The fish waits for no one.
Chef Tips
- •Seek swordfish steaks cut from the center of the fish, where the flesh is most tender. Steaks from near the tail are tougher and less forgiving of overcooking.
- •Salt-packed capers from Pantelleria have superior flavor to those preserved in brine. Rinse them thoroughly and soak in cold water for 10 minutes before using.
- •Green olives are traditional for ghiotta. Castelvetrano olives, buttery and mild, are ideal. Avoid Kalamata or other strong black olives, which will dominate the dish.
- •The sauce is equally magnificent with tuna steaks or firm white fish like halibut. Adjust cooking time according to thickness.
Advance Preparation
- •The ghiotta sauce can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently before adding the fish.
- •This dish does not keep well. Swordfish is best eaten immediately after cooking. Do not attempt to reheat leftover fish; it will become dry and stringy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
510 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
26 g
Cholesterol
85 mg
Sodium
665 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
43 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Chef Graziella's Seafood Main Dishes
Browse the full collection
Chef Graziella
Baccalà alla Vicentina
The patient, milk-braised salt cod of the Veneto, where hours of gentle heat transform preserved fish into something silken and profound. Vicenza guards this recipe jealously, and with good reason.
Chef Graziella
Branzino al Sale
The ancient technique of salt-baking creates a sealed chamber where the fish steams in its own moisture. What emerges is flesh of remarkable purity, seasoned perfectly, ready for nothing but your best olive oil.
Chef Graziella
Calamari Ripieni in Umido
Squid stuffed with their own tentacles and braised in tomato until the flesh turns silky and yielding. This is the home cooking of the Ligurian coast, where nothing goes to waste and patience is rewarded.