Swordfish

Swordfish Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

Back to Finfish

Swordfish Flavor Profile

Swordfish has a mildly sweet flavor and a moist, meaty texture with moderately high fat content.  The flesh can range from white or ivory to pink or orange.  The color variations do not reflect quality.  All Swordfish turn beige in color after cooking. 

FDA Note: Swordfish have high levelsof methyl-mercury so the FDA advises that pregnant women, nursing women, women of childbearing age and young children avoid eating swordfish.

Alternate Names

Broadbill, Espada, Emperado

Swordfish Purchasing Considerations

Knowing how to purchase quality seafood is one of the things which makes a chef successful. Fresh Swordfish loins should be ivory in color and have a translucent quality.  Previously frozen loins will be whiter and have an opaque rather than translucent quality about the flesh.  The bloodline should be red, not brown or black.  If there are red spots in the flesh it indicates that there are broken blood vessels and the fish was over-stressed at capture--return it for another piece.

Range & Habitat

Swordfish is available in oceans worldwide.

Fresh Swordfish Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak Swordfish availability, light green show limited availability.  Frozen available all year long.

 

Swordfish Yield Percentage and Recovery

Item	To Skn/On Fillets	To Skn/Off Fillets	Notes
Whole Head/On gutted
Whole Head/Off gutted	78%	64%	Trimmed means bloodline removed
Skin/On Loins		85%

 

 

 

 

 

Typical Swordfish Wholesale Products

H&G, Sides (Halves), Loins (quarters), Steaks

Swordfish Recipes

Visit our recipe database page and search our favorite seafood recipe sites. 

 

Swordfish Nutritional Information based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving * Calories/Calories from fat 207 * Protein grams 33.9 * Fat grams  6.9 * Saturated fat grams  1.9 * Sodium milligrams  154 * Cholesterol milligrams  66.9 * Omega-3 grams  1.0

 

Swordfish Sustainability Info

This window is a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program info on Swordfish.

 

Additional Resources:

National Marine Fisheries Service

 

Did you notice something which is missing on this page? If you have additional information about Swordfish please add a comment and include detailed specifics. Our goal is to have detailed information which is relevant to professional chefs and foodies. Visit our seafood indexes which list over 40 fresh fish species and 130 oyster varieties.

Home