A blissful blend of the reliably sweet (bell peppers, cubanelles, peperoncini) and the reliably fiery (Serranos, chile de arbol, Scotch bonnets) creates blissful balance. Here, the sweet peppers are sautéed slowly with onions to intensify their gentle honeyed character. Half of the hot chiles are left raw, sharp and biting to create as much contrast as possible. Eaten altogether, each bite is both hot and sweet, pungent from a touch of garlic, tart from a squeeze of lemon and faintly saline from the swordfish.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups sliced sweet peppers (a mix of bell peppers, cubanelle and others, as many colors as possible)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ pounds swordfish, skin removed, cut into 1 1/4-inch chunks
  • 2 to 3 fresh chile de arbol or other hot chile peppers, seeded if desired, and thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Lemon juice, as needed
  • Chopped cilantro, as needed
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      445 calories; 27 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 135 milligrams cholesterol; 874 milligrams sodium

    • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 servings

Preparation

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and let warm for 1 minute. Add onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in sweet peppers and oregano; cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Scrape vegetables into a bowl.
  2. Melt butter in skillet. While butter melts, toss fish with remaining salt and pepper. Add half the chile peppers to skillet and cook until soft, 1 minute. Add garlic to skillet and stir quickly to coat with butter. Add fish and reduce heat to medium-low; cook gently until fish is just opaque, about 5 minutes. Return sweet peppers to pan and toss well. Sprinkle with remaining chile peppers and top with a squeeze of lemon and cilantro.

45 minutes

Dining and Cooking