Swordfish involtini are a very common dish in Sicily and they are also one of my favourite recipes for fish! A little while ago I already shared with you the recipe of how to make Baked Swordfish Involtini. Today I am going to show you an alternative way of cooking them. This is my mom’s recipe and I always like to give her credit when due! 😉 I love every single ingredient of this filling: olives and capers for saltiness, breadcrumbs and extra virgin olive oil for softness and pine nuts for a little bit of crunch… The involtini are then gently cooked in a tomato and white wine sauce until just done, so they remain moist and so tender that you will only need your fork to eat them! This is going to be this week’s Regional Italian dish for… Sicily! Enjoy and buon appetito!
Swordfish Involtini in Tomato Sauce
The recipe for involtini made with swordfish and cooked in a light tomato sauce, just like in Sicily!
Ingredients
- 2 slices swordfish about 750 gms – 1 2/3 lbs
- 5 tbsp diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp onion chopped
- 30 ml – 1 oz. white wine
- 30 ml – 1 oz. water
- Salt to taste
Filling
- 150 gms – 5 1/3 oz. breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano finely grated
- 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato purée passata
- 1 tbsp capers rinsed and chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp green olives chopped
- 1 tbsp pine nuts chopped
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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To prepare the filling, put the chopped onion, garlic, pine nuts, capers, olives, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, breadcrumbs, tomato purée, extra virgin olive oil, parsley and salt in a bowl and mix well. You may have to add more extra virgin olive oil, depending on the breadcrumbs and how much they absorb the liquids. You need to obtain a soft enough stuffing so that when you press it with your hands, it retains the shape you give it and doesn't crumble.
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Now take one slice of swordfish, cut it in half and remove the skin. Then, using a sharp knife, slice it in half horizontally. Flatten each slice using a meat mallet. As swordfish is delicate, cover it with some baking paper while flattening it, this will reduce the risk of tearing. Cut each flattened steak in half and keep them aside. Do the same thing with the second slice of swordfish.
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To make the involtini, put some filling at the lower end of the swordfish steak. You should try and put at least 1 or 1 ½ tbsp of filling per slice. Press the filling with your hands, so it becomes like a patty. Now, roll the fish over it and close it with a toothpick. Repeat this for all the slices of swordfish and keep them aside.
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Put the chopped onion in a pot with the extra virgin olive oil and sauté for a few minutes on a very low flame. When soft and transparent add the diced tomatoes and let that cook for 3 minutes.
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Now add the swordfish involtini and pour the white wine on the top. Increase the flame to burn off the alcohol. Add the water and salt and let the involtini cook on a very low flame for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Make sure to delicately flip them over once midway.
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Remove the toothpicks and serve warm.
These look truly delicious, I may like them even more than the other recipe…
I haven’t had this dish and wouldn’t have thought of rolling up fish because it normally flakes but this has such a firm flesh that I can see that it would work well.
I only had swordfish at restaurants. I never tried cooking this fish due to its high mercury content, but this recipe is worth a try.
What a delightful recipe! Living rurally swordfish may not be exactly available, but can see myself doing the same with other fish fillets! Lovely filling!!
I really admire your knife skills! And the recipe too!
Such a tempting dish! I like the tip with the baking paper while flattening. Usually we use some clean warp inbetween, altough I intend totry your technique next.