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Involtini di pesce spada (Swordfish Rolls)

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo 2 lbs swordfish, trimmed of its skin and cut into very thin slices (see Notes)
  • Salt
  • For the filling:
  • 100 g 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1-2 garlic cloves finely minced
  • A small handful of raisins about 25g soaked in warm water
  • A small handful of pine nuts about 25g
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • For topping:
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • More breadcrumbs if needed

Instructions

  • Lay out the swordfish slices on a cutting board or other flat surface, seasoning them generously on both sides.
  • In a bowl, mixed the breadcrumbs with the minced garlic, raisins, pine nuts, minced parsley salt and pepper. (NB: If the raisins are very large, you may want to give them a rough chop.) Mix in the olive oil, bit by bit, until the mixture is well moistened and takes on the texture of wet sand. Taste and adjust for seasoning. The mixture should be very savory.
  • Lay out the filling on top of the swordfish slices. then roll up the slices starting from the narrower end.
  • You can cook the swordfish rolls one of two ways:

Oven baking:

  • Lay the resulting rolls in a baking dish large enough to just fit them snugly, as pictured above. Season the top of the rolls with salt and any remaining filling mixture. If you've used up all the filling, sprinkle with more breadcrumbs. Drizzle everything with olive oil.
  • Set the baking dish in a hot (200C/400F) oven with the convection function turned on if it has it. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the rolls are cooked through. The top should be nicely browned, but if not you can run the dish under the broiler for a minute or two.

Grilling: 

  • Place the rolls on skewers (if you want, inter splicing fresh bay leaves between them). Roll the skewers in the remaining filling (or additional breadcrumbs) and drizzle them on both sides with olive oil. Grill the skewers over hot coals for about 5 minutes per side.
  • In either case, let the dish cool for a few minutes before serving, with a wedge of lemon and possibly a simply dressed green salad.