Anja Von Bremzen

The scents of honey, orange, and thyme instantly evoke the Mediterranean. This easy, lyrical recipe is from Saüc, one of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona. The owner, Xavier Franco, prepares it with gorgeous loins of monkfish. It’s hard in this country to find monkfish that’s high-quality enough to be so simply grilled, so I’ve substituted swordfish. (Grilled or seared scallops or shrimp would also be delicious prepared this way.) The drizzle of fruity olive oil and sprinkling of salt at the end may seem like an afterthought, but their effect is transformational—so get out your best olive oil and flaky sea salt. The amount of honey needed will depend on the tartness of the oranges. Start with a tablespoon and add more until you get a nice balance of sweet and tart.

Read Related: Mediterranean Diet Tips

SWORDFISH WITH THYME-SCENTED ASPARAGUS
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 swordfish steaks (each about 1 inch thick and 6 ounces)
Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper Fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 4 to 6 oranges)
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 to 2½ TBSP floral honey, such as orange blossom honey
2 small garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press
1½ pounds thin asparagus, trimmed
½ cup Fish Stock, or store-bought fish stock, or bottled clam juice
1 TBSP minced fresh thyme
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon

Instructions

Rub the swordfish with salt and pepper, brush it generously with olive oil, and let stand until ready to use.
Place the orange and lemon juices in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to 1 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, whisk in 1 teaspoon of the honey, and taste the orange sauce; it should be nicely sweet and tart. If it is too tart, add more honey. Let the sauce cook for another minute. Season the sauce with salt to taste and keep warm until ready to serve.
Light the grill and preheat it to high or preheat the broiler.
Grill the swordfish on an oiled grate positioned 5 inches above the glowing coals, or broil it, until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. The fish is done when it just flakes when prodded with a fork. Transfer the fish to a plate and cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Heat 1½ teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat with the garlic. Add the asparagus and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Add the fish stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet and cook the asparagus until it is bright green and crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a plate. Continue to cook the fish stock mixture until it is reduced and syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide the asparagus among 4 plates and drizzle the fish stock mixture on it. Arrange a fish steak on each plate and drizzle the orange sauce over the asparagus and the fish. Drizzle a little olive oil over each serving and sprinkle sea salt on top.
Serve at once.

This recipe was originally published in The New Spanish Table by Anja von Bremzen (Workman Publishing) and is available for purchase here.

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Fig Salsita

There is tradition and there is innovation. And in between? For a taste of modern Spanish cuisine, I scour local food publications and the recipe supplements of popular women’s magazines. “Spanish women,” says my friend Toni Monné, editorial director of a Barcelona-based magazine group that publishes the wildly popular Cocina Fácil, “are no different from women all over the world. They work, they play, they tend to their families. When they cook, they want something attractive, healthy, and easy. Spanish for sure, but also worldly and modern.” The recipe here, which I adapted from one of his magazines, captures this spirit.

The salsita—a kind of uncooked compote of sliced figs and onion, steeped in sherry and vinegar and tossed at the last moment with mint and almonds—is so yummy, consider making an extra batch. It also works great made with sliced plums.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 to 9 smallish, ripe but firm fresh purple figs, trimmed and cut into thin wedges

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

3 tablespoons medium-dry sherry

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or more to taste if figs are very sweet

3 tablespoons fragrant extra-virgin olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Coarse salt (kosher or sea)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 boneless chicken breast halves (each 8 ounces) either skinless or with the skin, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds (see page 267)

1/4 cup finely slivered fresh mint

Instructions:

Place the figs, onion, sherry, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl and toss to mix. Let the salsita stand for 30 minutes.
Light the grill and preheat it to high or preheat the broiler.
Place the garlic, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a mortar and, using a pestle, mash them to a paste.
Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Brush the chicken with some of the garlic paste.
Grill or broil the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning it once and brushing it a few times with the remaining garlic paste.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for about 5 minutes.
Slice the chicken on the diagonal into thick slices and arrange on a serving platter.
Add the almonds and mint to the salsita and toss to mix.
Season the salsita lightly with salt, then transfer it to a serving dish.
Serve the chicken at once, accompanied by the salsita.

This recipe was first published in The New Spanish Table (Workman) and is available for purchase HERE.

Swordfish with Thyme-Scented Asparagus

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Fig Salsita