Choosing fish these days creates all sorts of decision making stress.  The dilemma surrounds what not to buy—some fish might have mercury or PCB contamination and others are over-fished.  So what to buy? There are lists online to help.   Here are two:  one here and the other here. 

The other day my husband bought swordfish, a fish I never buy myself; I tend to stay away from large fish because of mercury.  Tuna we eat more often than swordfish but still not as much as we used to now that we have children.  I like tunafish salad sandwiches and adore sushi, but don’t have either more than once monthly. (Canned tuna has higher levels of mercury, so beware.)  We probably eat swordfish once or twice a year.  We figure since it’s so seldom that we might as well enjoy it when we do- and will only buy it when it looks so very good.

We grilled the swordfish and we served it with a choice of sauces: puttanesca and a lemon caper sauce; Forbidden Black rice; CSA rainbow chard; micro bok choy (really small bok choy); and CSA garlic scapes. 

Start rice first.  Forbidden Black Rice name comes from long ago when it was forbidden for anyone but the Emperor to eat.  It becomes a deep dark purple when cooked and is a whole grain rice that is supposedly high in iron.  We love the taste, and the boys love the color too. 

 Steam chard and bok choy and shock to stop cooking.  Leave to side to finish later.  Steam or blanch garlic scapes and finish on the grill.   

My two eldest kids love capers and will pick them out of sauces to eat first. For the lemon caper sauce just a squeeze half a lemon over 3 Tbsp of capers and two pats of butter.  I put it in the microwave for 40 seconds, stirred and served!  So easy and quick.  You can also do it on the stove.  Just want to melt butter and warm capers. 

Puttanesca sauce is really quick to make too.  Just a little more chopping.

•  1 shallot or 1/4 white onion finely diced
•  1 large garlic clove chopped
• 1 plum tomato, seeded
• 3 anchovies or 1 Tbsp anchovy paste
• Handful of green or black olives, pitted and chopped.
• 2-3 Tbsp capers
• Black pepper to tasteHeat over stove until tomatoes have disintegrated.

Not every child will like puttanesca, but seeing that most kids like salty foods, some might surprise you!  We serve the sauces on the side so our kids can control how much they would like of them and where they want it placed!

To prepare the swordfish put olive oil, salt and pepper on a plate, place one side in oil then turn until both sides are nicely coated.  Place on hot grill and cook about 3 minutes on each side. (The cooking times vary depending on your grill and the thickness of the swordfish.)

Reheat the chard with touch of butter, salt and pepper.  Reheat the bok choy with butter or canola oil, sesame oil and soy sauce as I’ve noted before.

 © 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com