Swordfish With Caramelized Eggplant and Capers Recipe (2024)

Cut eggplant into 1” thick slices rather than cubes. This is much easier to flip. Cube when cool enough to handle.

Good recipe, I wish you would not feature non-sustainable species like swordfish, I know you offered substitutes like chicken, but why even suggest people use a species that is, except for a couple of catch methods (harpoon or handline) and a couple of geographies, on the no fly lists of most rating agencies and groups, when there are plenty of better alternatives? Check fishchoice.com for alternatives.

Delish! Sliced the eggplant instead of cubed while broiling. Easier to flip. Cubed before adding to pan. Subbed fresh tuna steak instead of swordfish which was wonderful. Highly recommend cooking this recipe!

This recipe is wonderful just with the eggplant. Did not work with chicken. Fish or tofu.

For this dish, ask your fish monger about sword fish tips. They are frozen irregular pieces that can be cut down and cost half the price of steaks. I pay $5 a pound. They are often in the back, and not displayed.

Just made this as I had all the ingredients except green olives so doubled the capers. I also doubled the tomatoes and the wine as it became quite dry. We really liked it and the change from our usual grilled fish..

Trim the skin off of the swordfish before cooking.

Excellent! Grilled the eggplant (in thick slices) on the outdoor grill, cooled, then cubed. Followed rest of recipe as per. Big flavor bomb! Served over rice with green salad on the side. Great recipe for company because you can make the tomato/eggplant sauce ahead of time and let sit, then just add the fish when you want to complete the dish. Splash of lemon juice, basil garnish and a sprinkle of course salt help to elevate everything. Definitely a repeatable.

When I told the guy at the fish market I was going to cube up the fish, he offered me the pieces that did not come out nicely as steaks. $6 per pound instead of $20, and I feel good about using part of the animal that might otherwise go to waste.Next time, more capers.

Thanks for including a swordfish recipe. Swordfish is the premier grilled/broiled seafood, the filet mignon of the sea. Melissa Clark's combination of caramelized eggplant with fatty swordfish creates a unique and wonderful marriage of flavors. Regarding sustainability of swordfish: please see this NOAA website for no nonsense seafood facts: www.fishwatch.gov/profiles/north-atlantic-swordfish No nation in the world fishes to the level of conservation as our U.S. family owned longline fleet.

A truly lovely dish. It was quick to make and the flavors are soft and unctuous, yet with sparks from the capers and olives. I served it with rice pilaf and roasted carrots. I wasn't sure what I would think about the chunks of fish in the midst of all the slumpy eggplant, but it was excellent, even for a barely-there fish eater like me. I think you could sub in chicken or even tofu, but the fish was lovely.

I am always looking for a good eggplant recipe and this had all the flavors that I love. The eggplant turned into flavor bombs. I was a bit worried that the addition of the olives and capers would overwhelm the other flavors, but it didn't. A very complex and wonderful dish.

This was really delicious! We used wild Alaska coho salmon as the fish, and smaller home-grown eggplants (Millionaire). Doubled the capers, used some cilantro instead of parsley, and served it over brown basmati rice. We did add lime juice at the end, which kicked it up a bit. My wife and daughter were a bit skeptical when I proposed this, but we all agree it is definitely a keeper recipe! btw, used olive oil instead of butter for the sautee-ing of garlic--olive oil is so heart-healthy!

Just made this...delicious as is but think I’d season the swordfish before adding it.

Delicious combination! Be careful not to overcook the swordfish. Served with some crusty bread!

This is a delicious blending of flavors. Grilling the eggplant in December required a bit more time, but was well worth it. We reduced the salt because of the capers, but otherwise followed the recipe. We will definitely make this again.

We loved this recipe. We added a tablespoon of Calabrian chilis and it was delicious! This one we will be making again and again!

We all really liked the complexity of flavors and will definitely make again. I made with ingredients suggested, used veggie broth instead instead of wine, followed others suggestions and roasted the ( peeled) eggplant in thick slices and cubed before adding to the tomato, onion mixture. I had swordfish steaks that weighed about 2.2 lbs in total and eggplant that weighed 2 but kept all else the same except added more olives and capers.

This favorite dish is delicious, and is an easy YES for our family to re-create with different fish, veggies, and favor profiles. The fish remains moist and silky, and robustly flavored with the reduced sauce. I have also used home made Thai seasoning pastes (galangal, kaffir lime, lemongrass,Thai basil, & bird chiles, mint, trassi, tamarind purée, coriander, etc.) for a superb fish dish good with rice or quinoa. 5 stars! Yummy, thank you.

So delicious! I'm glad there are leftovers!

Delicious. I mistakenly thought I had tomatoes, so midway through the recipe I subbed bell peppers and tomato paste. Worked great, but next time I'll make sure I have tomatoes! I think I'll also double the olives.

Used fresh Asian eggplant cut from garden 1 hour before cooking. Followed recipe exactly....not sure where the "caramelized" comes from .....but the broken down sauce was fantastic.Simmer the fish spooning sauce over it.Next time will add softened golden raisins to it!

This was amazing. I doubled the tomatoes, eggplant and other “sauce” ingredients. Great company dish. The swordfish was perfect.

We really enjoyed this lovely recipe, Ms. Clark -- thank you. Agree with some: take off the skin; disagree with some commenters: don't cut swordfish too small. Larger pieces won't dry out when you're basting with butter/olive/capers prior to the reintroduction of eggplant. I found that you could also hold this if you don't cook everything through and finish off a la minuta. Tonight, we're going to enjoy leftovers over pasta (alla Norma con pesce spada??? -- don't know if that's a thing).

I added some garlic toasted bread crumbs for some crunch.

Checking in for a 3d time: I've made this with swordfish, chicken, and firm tofu, and it's always terrific. Tonight I used chicken broth instead of my usual rose wine, and a little more eggplant and a little less swordfish, and...STILL excellent. A total keeper that I've made for company and just for us.

I liked this the first time but thought I might like it with shrimp the second. So very tasty! I also doubled the capers and olives because I just love those flavors and added an extra splash of wine along with the lemon at the end.

Made this as described. It was wonderful. I made it and enjoyed fresh, then, saved to the fridge foe 3 days and reheated. Served with boiled Spanish potatoes and green salad. It was a hit with my friends here in SE Spain! j. J.

Interesting dish! I ended up having to broil the eggplant about 20 minutes. I didn’t carefully flip the pieces, though, just jumbled and spread them out again every 5 minutes or so. The part where it says to add water? I added rosé. Then added more rosé when it was called for. I also used canned tomatoes. It’s not tomato season anyway and it helped amp up the sauciness. Both changes led to deliciousness! Next time I will add more capers and olives, and try shrimp instead of swordfish.

Made this last night for a dinner party and it was spectacular! Added a can of diced tomatoes to supplement the sauce and doubled up on capers. The fish was really wonderful and it’s a nice way to serve fish - cut into large (we made 1.5 to 2 inch) chunks and simmered with tasty vegetables! Served over brown basmati rice too! Kudos to Melissa Clark!!!