Salmoriglio (Sicilian Summer Feast — Grilled Swordfish)

Sicily; salmoriglio is a Sicilian coastal tradition associated with the summer swordfish season; the sauce name derives from a dialect word for salt water or brine; the preparation is documented across the Straits of Messina fishing culture.

Salmoriglio — the fresh herb and lemon sauce of Sicily — is both a marinade and a condiment for grilled fish, used throughout the summer season when swordfish (pesce spada) is at its finest in the Strait of Messina. The sauce is simple to the point of austerity: extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, fresh oregano, garlic, and sea salt, emulsified by vigorous whisking and applied generously to thick-cut swordfish steaks before and after grilling. The preparation is entirely of the season — the Sicilian summer swordfish, the local lemons, the wild oregano from the hillsides — and it represents the Mediterranean principle of letting quality ingredients speak through the simplest possible preparation. The grilling must be done over very high heat (wood or charcoal ideally) to create the char that provides textural and flavour contrast to the fresh, bright sauce.