The steak of the sea

Grilled Swordfish with a garlic and herb compound butter.

Swordfish is a wonderfully flavorful fish that goes great on the grill and is easy to cook. If you don't mind spending the extra money, swordfish is a nice treat for a special occasion. Over-fishing has driven the price up to $16 a pound, and high levels of mercury make it something to be enjoyed occasionally, but still something you should try at least once.

I decided to grill mine and pair it with a nice garlic and herb compound butter. This was my first time making my own butter and grilling swordfish so I did my homework to ensure the fish would not be wasted on a dish too complex. I really wanted the natural flavors to come through, so I decided on simple flavors in the butter. Minced garlic, parsley, shallots and lime juice ended up making a great combination with the fish. Whole grain wild rice with green beans and carrots went very nice, though I think my filet was a bit too large for the plate!

First attempt at blogging, so this is my first attempt at Carne Asada.

My favorite Mexican food!

A staple in most Mexican restaurants, carne asada literally means "grilled beef". The great thing about it is that it's easy to cook up on the grill and has a large variety of ways it can be served. 

Traditionally carne asada is a flank steak marinaded in a combination of spices usually including olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, and a variety of other spices and dried chili's. 
Having grown up in San Diego, I have become quite accustomed to mexican food and spices so I generally prefer a nice amount of heat in my food, but not so much as to overpower the other flavors in the dish.   

The marinade is the most time intensive part but also the most rewarding part if done right. I made the marinade to my liking by taking dried Anaheim chili's and heating them in a pan to release some of the oils, then chopped up and added to the marinade.  

It turned out great and I was actually very surprised how well the marinade flavor with the spicy smokiness came through in the end.