Tropical BBQ Swordfish with Chai Squash Puree

You know I don't eat Swordfish that often, but it's after eating a meal like this that I have no idea why. This was absolutely delicious. The citrus marinade lightly flavored the meaty Swordfish giving a refreshing, zesty summer flavor to the meal.

I paired the Swordfish with a squash puree. Although squash season is starting to come to an end (at least for acorn, butternut, etc) they're still freshly available and this lightly spiced version came out light and fluffy with just the right amount of flavoring. Finally, I rounded out the meal with my Asiago and Balsamic Caramelized Onion Focaccia that I love so much.

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Difficulty: easy

Chai Squash Puree

Time: 1 hr 20 min
Squash works so well in purees. It's thick yet light, simple yet full of flavor. For this one I used butternut squash but acorn would have been a good substitute as well.

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cardamon
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp ground green pepper
tiny dash of cloves
5 tbsp shallots, peeled and cut in half or quarters
1 onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp brown sugar

(this recipe is based on one from Cooking Light)

Wash your squash, peel it, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. This will give you several cups of squash. Get your oven preheating to 375.

Mix together the squash, olive oil, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, green pepper, cloves, shallots, and onions. Toss well to make sure the spices and oils are evenly coating the vegetables.

Line a glass pan with foil, spray it with cooking spray, and place the squash mixture inside. Bake for an hour. The squash should be quite tender when done.

Working in rounds if you need to, place the mixture in a food processor with 1/4 cup of water and the brown sugar. Process until light and fluffy and serve right away while it's still hot.

Tropical BBQ Swordfish
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb swordfish
1 cup mango nectar
1/4 cup apricot preserves
2 tsp grated lime rind
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil

(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Mix together the mango nectar, apricot preserves, lime rind, lime juice, honey, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon just until combined. Place in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring fairly often. It should thicken considerably.

Once your sauce has been simmering for five minutes heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Place about 1 tsp of olive oil on the grill pan and let it get hot as well. Sprinkle the Swordfish with the salt (optional) and black pepper. Place the fish in the pan and cook for about 7 minutes. Flip the Swordfish and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

At this point your sauce should be wrapping up. Pour the sauce over the fish. Use a spatula or heat-resistant spoon to baste the fish, continually moving sauce from the pan back to the top of the fish so it coats it well. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. At this point your fish should be done. Check by seeing if it flakes easily and eat right away.