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Mango BBQ'd-Grilled Swordfish

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Image may contain Dish Food Meal and Plant
Photo by Penny De Los Santos

NVA: Mangoes originated in India, but today they are loved in cuisines all over the world. The Sanskrit word for mango is amra, meaning "of the people." I think barbecue means "of the people" in America so I have united them here. Justin and I demonstrate this dish at mango festivals from time to time. The bonus: We always bring a bowl of it premade so that the guests can have a taste. That means the batch we make up on stage comes home. You'll be left with half of the BBQ sauce from this recipe, but you'll be pleased as you can use it on any kind of thing in the world that you might barbecue. It is outrageously good on a burger.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4, plus leftover BBQ sauce

Ingredients

For the mango barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons pure olive oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon Hungarian hot paprika
One 14-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced ripe mango
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Creole or Dijon mustard
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds

For the fish:

Four 7- to 8-ounce swordfish steaks, trimmed
Scant 2 cups Mango BBQ Sauce
1 mango, peeled and sliced, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and onion and stir. Then let the onions caramelize, without stirring.

    Step 2

    Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Add all of the remaining BBQ sauce ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a little over 3 cups sauce. Leave chunky or puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside to cool.

    Step 3

    Remove the swordfish steaks from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before cooking them.

    Step 4

    Prepare an outdoor grill for grilling over medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the swordfish steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side and 2 to 3 minutes on the second side, until browned on the outside and cooked through.

    Step 5

    Transfer to warm serving plates and spoon some of the mango BBQ sauce around the fish.

From My Key West Kitchen: Recipes and Stories by Norman Van Aken and Justin Van Aken. Text © 2012 by Norman Van Aken; photographs © 2012 by Penny De Los Santos. Published in 2012 by Kyle Books.

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