Swordfish with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce

Serves 2.

Time requirement: 15-20 minutes.

What you will need:

2 swordfish steaks, 6-8 ounces each and about 1-1¼ inch thick.

½ teaspoon kosher salt.

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Spray oil.

Wondra flour.

1 lemon.

1½ ounce salted butter. (Use a good quality European style butter. It is the base of the sauce.)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

2 tablespoons vodka.

1 tablespoon capers packed in salt. (See note at the end of the recipe.)

2 warm serving plates.

Preparation:

First get everything ready for the sauce which will cook in the frypan once the swordfish has cooked.

Wash the lemon. Scrub it well in case the skin was coated with wax or another treatment.

With a vegetable peel, peel three strips from the lemon, each about the size of your index finger, and each without any white pith. Stack the peels and slice them into them spears. Set aside.

Squeeze the lemon to procure 2 tablespoons cup fresh lemon juice (filtered without seed or pulp). Set aside.

Cut the butter into small pats, 8-12. Set aside. (Use a good quality European style butter. It is the base of the sauce.)

Bring a quart water to a boil. Boil the lemon peel spears for three minutes, collect them with a fine sieve. Set aside.

Rinse the swordfish steaks under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle each steak with the salt and pepper. Set the steaks aside.

Apply a light coating of spray oil to a 12-inch fry pan. Place the pan over a medium high heat. while the pan heats up sprinkle one side of each swordfish steak with a light coating of Wondra flour. When the oil in the pan begins to brown, turn the heat to medium and add the swordfish steaks to the pan floured side down.

Cook the swordfish for two minutes. At 2 minutes apply a light dusting of Wondra flour to the top side of the steaks and turn them over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, apply a light dusting of Wondra flour to the top of the swordfish and turn it to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat one more time. For a total of 8 minutes of cooking. (The purpose of applying a light coating of Wondra flour is to give the fish some color. Also, the residue flour in the pan will help thicken the sauce to come.)

Remove the swordfish steaks to a plate and cover with foil. To the pan add the vodka, lemon juice, lemon zest, and the capers. Deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid in the pan to reduce by one half. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter to the pan. Swirl the butter into the cooking juices with a whisk until the butter and the liquid emulsify into a sauce. Any flour stuck to the bottom of the pan will now help to thicken the sauce.

Divide the sauce between the two warm serving plates and place a steak in the center of each plate. Serve immediately.

Note: If your capers come packed in vinegar, let them soak in a cup of water for 10 minutes