Tequila Lime Swordfish & Ravioli Appetizer | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

TIP OF THE DAY: First Course, Small Bites

April 16, 2016 at 8:45 am · Filed under Appetizers-Hors d’Oeuvre, Fish-Seafood-Caviar, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

san-marzano-tomatoes-can
Fancy Appetizers
Top: A Swordfish-Ravioli Stack with Mexican garnishes. Photo courtesy Chef Eric LeVine. Center: Canned San Marzano tomatoes. Bottom: Chef LeVine’s delectable cookbook; photo courtesy Lyons Press.

Today’s tip is that it’s easy to be creative in food preparation. Start with a first course/appetizer/starter (use the word of your choice).

This recipe may look complicated, but putting it together is easy. The hard part was thinking it up, and that was done by Chef Eric LeVine, Food Network Chopped Champion and ICA* Chef Of The Year.

He used Mexican seasonings, so think of serving a mini Margarita (in shot glasses or other small glasses) with the course.

Chef Eric is also author of Small Bites Big Flavor: Simple, Savory, And Sophisticated Recipes For Entertaining. He wrote it for the home cook who wants to make imaginative and fun dishes. It’s a great start on a path to cooking more creative food.

We’ve created our own version of his recipe.

If you don’t eat shellfish, substitute a ravioli of choice. For surf and turf, use meat ravioli.

Chef Eric made a spicy shrimp sauce. We took a simpler approach: crushed San Marzano tomatoes with minced fresh herbs.

The amount of fish you need will vary based on what portion size you want to serve. You can also serve the recipe as a main, by purchasing a 6-ounce swordfish steak for everyone and adding more ravioli.

We purchased the ravioli, pico de gallo and guacamole, making the assembly pretty speedy.

RECIPE: TEQUILA-LIME SWORDFISH & RAVIOLI STACKS.

Ingredients

Swordfish steaks, 2-4 ounces per person

Shrimp ravioli or substitute

Sauce (recipe below)

Fresh pico de gallo

Guacamole

Garnish: lime wedges

For The Marinade

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup tequila

2 tablespoons olive oil

Optional: 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt to taste

For The Sauce

1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (or substitute basil or parsley, if you have them on hand)

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preparation

1. MAKE the marinade and marinate the swordfish steaks for 30 to 40 minutes, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge. Use a glass or ceramic dish to marinate, or plastic storage bags. While the swordfish marinates, cook the ravioli.

2. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil, and add a tablespoon of olive oil to keep the ravioli from sticking. Add the ravioli and stir constantly for 5 minutes, taking care not to break the ravioli. Cook to al dente, since you’ll be reheating it before serving. Remove the ravioli one-by-one with a slotted spoon and place, not touching, on a microwavable baking sheet, tray, or in a glass baking dish. Cover with foil and set aside.

3. MAKE the sauce: Combine the tomatoes and seasonings and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

4. GRILL the swordfish over medium heat to desired doneness, 10 to 12 for medium (we like ours medium rare). Cut into pieces. We cut 6-ounce swordfish steaks into 3 pieces for a portion size of 2 stacks. You may wish to serve only one stack.

5. MICROWAVE the ravioli and the sauce briefly to warm them.

6. ASSEMBLE the stacks. Place a small pool of sauce on the plate, topped with a piece of swordfish, a ravioli, and a garnish of guacamole and pico de gallo. Add the lime wedge and serve.

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*The International Caterers Association

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