Pesce Spada alla Ghiotta (Greedy Man's Swordfish)

This is a classic dish from Southern Italy with bold, striking flavours which still maintains that beautiful simplicity that we associate with the Italian classics. 

There's salty olives and anchovies, sharp capers, sweet raisins and earthy pine nuts, all enveloped by gently warmed cherry tomatoes, making a sauce which is the perfect accompaniment to the meaty yet delicate flavour of the swordfish. If you can't get hold of swordfish, you can swap it out for tuna which is similarly meaty or you can go for something like cod or hake, if you like.

Pesce Spada alla Ghiotta (Greedy Man's Swordfish)

Serves 2

oil

2 swordfish (or tuna) steaks 

4 anchovies 

1 red onion, sliced 

4 garlic cloves, sliced 

80g of green olives, pitted 

20g of pine nuts 

30g of capers 

500g of cherry tomatoes, halved 

30g of raisins 

1 handful of parsley leaves, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large frying pan big enough to fit both swordfish steaks comfortably over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil, then the onion, garlic and anchovies. Gently sauté until they are soft and the anchovies have dissolved into the oil.

Add the pine nuts and capers and fry for a minute to lightly toast the nuts. Add the cherry tomatoes and raisins, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. After this time, the tomatoes will be starting to collapse but should still hold their shape slightly. Turn the heat down to low and leave to gently simmer.

Season the swordfish steaks with salt and pepper and place a separate large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Once smoking, add a splash of oil to the pan and add the swordfish steaks. Cook for 3–4 minutes, or until you have a nice golden colour on the underside.

Using a fish slice, carefully flip the steaks over into the pan with the tomato sauce, so that the seared side is facing upwards. Cover the pan with a lid or kitchen foil and leave the fish to gently finish steaming in the sauce for 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.