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Grilled Swordfish Recipe with Pineapple (with Kabob Option)

This Swordfish Recipe is a delicious and healthy meal the whole family will love. Tender fillets of swordfish are paired with sweet and juicy pineapple, red pepper and onions then grilled to make a super easy meal that’s bursting with flavor. As a fun twist, cut the fish into bite sized pieces and make tasty and simple fish kabobs.

If you like to stay away from boring fish recipes, you’ll also want to try this quick and easy Thai Coconut Curry Fish recipe to add some flare to your weekly meals!

grilled swordfish on plate

Sword Fish and Pineapple Skewers Recipe

You’re simply going to love the explosion of flavor this swordfish recipe gets from the red peppers, zesty lime and sweet pineapple. It’s also a fast recipe, cooking right on the stove stop in a grill pan. And the best part is, this is a no fuss recipe, using simple ingredients, that’s great for those busy weeknights when you need dinner on the table in a hurry.

Simply served with a serving of this tasty Cilantro Lime Instant Pot Rice or your favorite healthy side dish, you’ll have a tasty and nutritious restaurant quality fish dinner that you’ll want to keep in your regular meal rotation. 

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Swordfish fillets marinate and cooks in 45 minutes or less making them great for easy weeknight dinners.
  • The swordfish is seasoned with a simple marinade that adds such a refreshing and bright flavor using fresh ingredients.
  • The fish has a mild flavor which is a great way to introduce your kids to fish in a much healthier way than store bought fried fish sticks.

Ingredients

  • Fresh swordfish steaks, cut into 1-inch cubes if making kabobs
  • Fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • Medium red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • Large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Lime zest, preferably organic
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
  • Garlic powder (you can also use fresh garlic gloves)
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Non-stick cooking spray (or butter, olive oil, or coconut oil)
  • Large limes, cut into wedges 

Pan Grilled Swordfish Variations and Substitutions

  • Fish: You’ll want a meaty fish that will hold up well on a skewer. Mahi mahi is a good alternative but other types of fish with meaty texture like halibut will work great also.
  • Marinade: The acid in the lime is used to tenderize and marinate the fish. Other options are soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest or even red wine vinegar.
  • Seasonings: Add any type of fresh herbs you like. Add a little kick of heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper or for lemon garlic swordfish, you can use lemon pepper seasoning.
  • Veggies: Uses red onions but if you have young children, you can omit them. If you’re not a fan of pineapple you can use fresh zucchini or yellow squash in its place.

Recommended Tools

How to Make Swordfish Kabobs

2 pieces of uncooked swordfish on plate

Prepare the Fish

Dab the surface of the fish with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Cut up the fish into kabob size pieces. Or you can leave the fillet whole.

Add Ingredients to Marinade

Place the swordfish, pineapple chunks, red onion, and red bell pepper in a large glass or other non-reactive bowl. Add the olive oil, lime zest, fresh cilantro, and garlic powder and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine making sure you get the side of the fish. Set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time.

Cook the Fish

Spray a large grill pan with non-stick cooking spray (or lightly grease with a tablespoon of olive oil, butter or coconut oil). Set over medium heat. If making kabobs, thread a piece of swordfish and veggies alternatively onto skewers. The easiest ways to pan sear kabobs is to work in batches, if necessary, place on the hot grill pan.

Cook on medium-high heat until the veggies are slightly charred and crisp-tender on the first side, or approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip them and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish cube is flakey, and the pineapple begins to get golden brown.

If cooking the fillets whole, you can just cook them until they reach 145 °F. While the grilled fish rests, add the pineapple, peppers and onions to the grill pan and cook until tender.

Serve over a bed of Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice.

Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day or two.

swordfish kabobs on bed of rice on plate

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Swordfish Taste Like?

Swordfish is a mild-tasting white fish with a slightly sweet flavor. Unlike some other types of fish it doesn’t have much of a fishy smell and is a denser fish than most other types of fish. It’s even described as having a beefy texture.

How to Serve Swordfish Fillets?

The mild taste of this fish makes it the perfect dish to serve with just about any side dish you prefer. We love them served over a serving of the rice I mentioned earlier, but you can serve it with a savory salad like this Cold Asparagus Salad or this Kidney Bean Salad. For something a little heartier, they are fantastic served with these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

If you have leftovers, they are great the next day heated up as swordfish tacos!

Can Swordfish Kabobs Be Grilled on an Outdoor Grill?

When the weather permits, if you prefer to use an outdoor grill to cook them, you certainly can. Grilled swordfish kabobs are actually amazing! Charcoal grill marks add a lot of flavor and they smell amazing coming off the grill!

swordfish kabobs with pineapple tomatoes and peppers

Can I Bake these Kabob in the Oven?

You can convert this to a super tasty and easy baked swordfish recipe. Just place the fish in a greased baking dish and cook on 425 degrees for 12-17 minutes. If you aren’t sure they are done, insert an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the fish. According to the USDA, the internal temperature of the swordfish should be 145 °F.

How Much Swordfish Do I Need Per Person?

This greatly depends on the way it’s prepared and what you’re serving with it. As a general rule, you’ll want to figure on about 4-6 ounces of fresh fish per person.

How Long Will Leftovers be Good for?

Exactly how to tell if cooked fish is bad is actually a very common question. If using this swordfish recipe in your meal prepping for the week, you’ll want to make a short week of meals with it. Typically you want to eat it in 3-4 days.

Want More Healthy Dinner Recipes?

stack of grilled swordfish on plate kabobs

Grilled Swordfish with Pineapple (Kabobs optional)

Published By Stephanie
Tender fillets of swordfish are paired with sweet and juicy pineapple, red pepper and onions then grilled to make a super easy meal that's bursting with flavor. As a fun twist, cut the fish into bite sized pieces and make tasty and simple fish kabobs.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 288 kcal

Equipment

  • 8 Wooden skewers
  • Large cast iron grill pan

Ingredients
  

  • 8 wooden skewers soaked in water prior
  • 16 oz swordfish cut into 1 in pieces if making kabobs
  • 16 oz pineapple fresh, preferred, cut into 1 in cubes
  • 1 med red onion cut into 1 in chunks
  • 1 lg red bell pepper cut into 1 in pieces
  • 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 t lime zest
  • ¼ cup cilantro leaves fresh, chopped
  • 2 t garlic powder
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • Non-stick Cooking spray
  • 2 lg lime wedges cut into wedges

Instructions
 

Prepare the fish

  • Dab the surface of the fish with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Cut up the fish into kabob size pieces. Or you can leave the fillet whole.

Marinade

  • Place the swordfish, pineapple chunks, red onion, and red bell pepper in a large glass or other non-reactive bowl.
  • Add the olive oil, lime zest, fresh cilantro, and garlic powder and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine making sure you get the side of the fish. Set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time.

Ready to cook

  • Spray a large grill pan with non-stick cooking spray (or lightly grease with a tablespoon of olive oil, butter or coconut oil). Set over medium heat. If making kabobs, thread a piece of swordfish and veggies alternatively onto skewers. The easiest ways to pan sear kabobs is to work in batches, if necessary, place on the hot grill pan.
  • Cook on medium-high heat until the veggies are slightly charred and crisp-tender on the first side, or approximately 2-3 minutes. Flip them and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish cube is flakey, and the pineapple begins to get golden brown.
  • If cooking the fillets whole, you can just cook them until they reach 145 °F. While the grilled fish rests, add the pineapple, peppers and onions to the grill pan and cook until tender.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Notes

*Rice was not included in nutritional facts. 

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 23gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 95mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 2gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 278IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
Keyword easy, fish, grilled
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