Swordfish Involtini with Couscous

Involtini is an Italian word used to describe small bundles of food stuffed into a rolled food wrap. Usually I use chicken, beef or eggplant to stuff so I was interested to see how the swordfish would work in this regard. This recipe is adapted from ‘What to Drink with What you Eat‘ by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. Both are James Beard award winning authors of ‘Becoming a Chef’ and ‘Culinary Artistry’. What to Drink with What you Eat is a great guide to pairing food with wine, beer, spirits, coffee, tea and is based on expert advice from America’s best sommeliers. My husband and I have used this book extensively. We searched a very long time for a book such as this and highly recommend it!

Serves 4
1/2 cup couscous
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
8 large prawns, shelled, deveined and roughly chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
1/c cup dry white wine
salt and pepper, to taste
8 (4 oz.) swordfish steaks, pounded to 1/8 inch thickness
baby lettuce, for garnish
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 250c. In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit until all water has been absorbed (5-7 minutes).

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and saute until golden. Add the prawns and vegetables. Add the wine and cook until the wine is reduced and vegetables are tender. Stir in couscous and season with salt and pepper.

Divide stuffing evenly on top of the swordfish slices and roll up. Secure with toothpicks if necessary. Put the swordfish rolls in a roasting pan and add 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil, remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 7 to 10 minutes until the swordfish is lightly colored. Place the swordfish rolls on a bed of baby lettuce. Drizzle with olive oil and white wine vinegar.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: In the book, it was recommended to choose a full-bodied white California Chardonnay (rich in citrus but not too oaky). Champagne (my all time favorite drink) is a richer choice. This dish was relatively easy to make and the flavors of the vegetables and couscous complimented the swordfish.