Accounting for Taste

Lemony, garlicky, oregano-infused salmoriglio is a workaday Sicilian staple, stirred together from basic ingredients and always on hand to season grilled foods, particularly swordfish and other proteins. A nearly 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to olive oil made for a bracing sauce, and adding lemon zest boosted its aroma.

Yes, swordfish is just as pricey in our area as is halibut, but we decided we were worth a splurge. And with just the two of us for dinner, we got by with only two steaks weighing in at just a bit over a pound. With a minimum of easy-to-source ingredients, and with only 40 minutes from start to finish, you can easily squeeze this fish meal into a weekday.

As the cooked fish rests in the salmoriglio, it sheds juices that slightly dilute the sauce’s acidity and balances its flavor. Plenty of dried oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper adds savory, herbaceous character to the bright sauce. Applying it to the swordfish three times—before and after cooking, as well as alongside the fish for serving—means every bite is full of flavor.

Flipping the fish every 2 minutes during cooking ensured that heat continuously hit both sides of the flesh, promoting uniform doneness. Pulling the swordfish off the grill when it reached 130 degrees and letting carryover cooking bring it up to its serving temperature (140 degrees) prevented overcooking.

While the swordfish rested for 10 minutes, it allowed us time to prepare our side of baby spinach and garlic sauté, and a side salad.

Purchase swordfish steaks that are 1 to 1½ inches thick, either four steaks that weigh 7 to 9 ounces each or two steaks that weigh about 1 pound each. Cut the larger steaks in half to create four steaks. Ask your fishmonger to remove the skin or trim it yourself with a thin, sharp knife.

Grilled Swordfish Salmoriglio

Servings: 4
Time: 40 min
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup juice (2 lemons)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. pepper, divided
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. skinless swordfish steaks, 1 to 1½ inches thick
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, divided

Directions

Whisk oregano, lemon zest and juice, garlic, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl until salt is dissolved. Whisk in oil.
Arrange swordfish in single layer in shallow pan or dish. Pour half of marinade over fish, flipping steaks to ensure both sides are evenly covered. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 45 minutes. Whisk 1½ tablespoons parsley into remaining marinade and set aside.
FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) to medium-high.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove fish from marinade, letting excess drip off (do not pat dry). Sprinkle both sides with remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place fish on hotter side of grill and cook (covered if using gas), flipping every 2 minutes, until steaks develop dark grill marks and register 130 to 135 degrees, 7 to 11 minutes.
Transfer fish to clean shallow pan or dish and pour reserved marinade over top. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest until centers register 140 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer fish to serving platter or individual plates and sprinkle with remaining 1½ teaspoons parsley. Transfer sauce in pan to small bowl. Serve, passing sauce separately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

With only 5 ingredients plus the poultry pieces, pretty much anyone can tackle this super flavorful grilled chicken. We just oohed and ahhed while savoring every juicy bite. Once you taste it, I’m betting you’ll add it to your regular rotation.

Extra-virgin olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs comprise salmoriglio, a sauce/marinade from southern Italy (specifically, Calabria and Sicily). This version is made with grated zest; some of the mixture is used for marinating bone-in chicken parts, then the juice from grilled lemon halves is added to finish the sauce just before serving.

Grilling the lemons before juicing them mellows their sharpness and acidity, adding a subtle sweetness to the sauce. We used a mixture of bone-in chicken breasts and thighs (can also include drumsticks or leg quarters). Keep in mind that the white meat is done at 160°F and the dark meat at 175°F, so the breasts may finish ahead of the dark meat. Our white meat actually took longer because one of the pieces was quite thick, so it’s good to have an instant read thermometer on hand.

If using white meat, cut the breasts halves in half again to make the pieces more uniform in size with the dark meat. Don’t use a fork to move the chicken pieces on the grill. A fork creates holes that allow juices to escape, resulting in drier meat. Use tongs instead—oh, and don’t forget protective gloves especially when squeezing those charred lemon juices into the salmoriglio sauce, they are HOT!

As sides, we served ours with a wedge salad and Patates a la Sal (Wrinkly Potatoes). They are cooked in very salty water—like the sea. By the time they are cooked through, the salt water evaporates and the potato skins become wrinkled with a white dusting of salt. They are especially tasty with a roasted garlic aioli.

Diliziusu!!

Grilled Chicken Salmoriglio

Servings: 4
Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 lemons
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, trimmed
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Grate 2 teaspoon zest from the lemons, then halve the lemons crosswise and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the zest, oil, garlic, oregano, 1¼ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Transfer ¼ cup of the mixture to a large bowl, add the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature while preparing the grill.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking.
Place the chicken skin side up on the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Using tongs, reposition the chicken so that the pieces furthest from the fire are now closest; keep the chicken skin-side up. Re-cover and continue to cook until the thickest part of the breast, if using, reaches 160°F or the thickest part of the thighs and drumsticks, if using, reach 175°F, another 5 to 10 minutes.
Using tongs, flip the chicken skin-side down onto the hot side of the grill. Cook until the skin is lightly browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, moving the chicken as needed to avoid flare-ups. Transfer the chicken skin side up to a platter and let rest for about 5 minutes.
While the chicken rests, cut each lemon in half and grill the lemon halves cut side down on the hot side of the grate until grill-marked, 2 to 3 minutes.
Squeeze 2½ tablespoons juice from 1 or 2 of the grilled lemon halves, then stir the juice along with the parsley into the reserved garlic-lemon oil to make the salmoriglio.
Transfer the chicken skin side up to a platter and let rest for about 5 minutes.
Serve the sauce and the remaining grilled lemon halves with the chicken.