Swordfish

Swordfish Flavor Profile

Swordfish Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

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.

Typical Cooking Methods

Alternate Names

Broadbill, Espada, Emperado

Swordfish Description (Xiphias gladius)

Swordfish have a long beak resembling a sword.  They can grow to almost 15 feet long and weigh as much as 1400 lb, but average size is 50 – 200 lbs.  Swordfish eat small tuna, barracuda, dorado, squid, mackerel, flying fish, rockfish, hake, and other fish.

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 availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh. Frozen available all year long.

Swordfish Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery

Typical Swordfish Wholesale Products

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

Swordfish Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Method	Catch Region	Seafood Watch	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	Mercury Concerns
Swordfish, Xiophias gladius	Broadbill, Espada, Emperado, Shutome	Wild – Harpoon, Handline	Hawaii				Elevated
			US – Canada, East Pacific, North Atlantic
		Wild – Drift Gillnet	California
		Wild – Longline	US
		Wild – Longline, Harpoon, Handline	Indian Ocean
		Wild – Longline, Harpoon, Handline, Drift Gillnet	Mediterranean Sea
		Wild – Longline	Imported
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
= Best Choice/Recommended     = Good Alternative     = Avoid/Not Recommended							Updated August 2013

Additional Resources:

National Marine Fisheries Service

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