Spice-Rubbed Swordfish Skewers

Meaty cubes of swordfish are coated with a fragrant Moroccan-inspired spice blend before being grilled to perfection. It’s served with a quick-pickled cucumber salad to balance the richness of the fish. If you have premade harissa spice blend in your pantry, use 1 tablespoon in place of the ancho, cumin, coriander, caraway, and cayenne.

• 8 (8 to 10 inch) bamboo or 4 metal skewers

• 1½ teaspoons pure ancho chile powder

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

• 1 large garlic clove, grated

• 2 tablespoon s extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 pound swordfish steaks, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes 

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• 2 Kirby or small Persian cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

• ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 teaspoon thinly sliced fresh hot chile

• 2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh mint leaves

• 4  pita breads or other flatbreads, warmed

• Plain yogurt for serving

Soak the bamboo skewers in warm water for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine the dried spices with the garlic and mash to a paste. Stir in the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the swordfish cubes, toss to coat, then double thread them on 4 parallel pairs of bamboo skewers.

In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice with the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add the cucumbers, onion, chile, and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat and rub the grate with oil. Add the swordfish skewers to the grill and cook over high heat, turning occasionally, until charred and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. While the swordfish is grilling, brush the pita with oil and grill, turning once, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve right away with the cucumber pickles, warm pita, and yogurt.

Look for fruit-forward reds like cru Beaujolais to match the richness of the swordfish or for white wines, try a gewürztraminer or pinot gris with notes of tropical fruit.

Add a few pomegranate arils to the yogurt for a bit of sweetness.

Swordfish is rich in essential nutrients including selenium, vitamin D, and more omega-3 fatty acids than albacore.