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Swordfish substitute

Best substitute

Tuna steaks (ahi or yellowfin)

Use the same amount by weight and thickness as the swordfish you are replacing

Best for grilling

Different taste

What swordfish gives you is structure: it is the fish you can grill, skewer or sear hard without it falling through the grates, and its mild flavor is a canvas for salsa verde, capers, olives or char. So you need another steak-cut fish, meaning a thick cross-section with a dense grain, not a thin fillet. Tuna steaks swap 1:1 but dry out fast, so pull them earlier. Mahi-mahi is the best flavor match at 1:1. Halibut steaks are excellent if cut at least 1 1/4 inches thick. Monkfish is the choice for skewers and stews.

Other swordfish substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Swordfish with ratios

  1. 2Mahi-mahi

    Close match

    Use the same amount by weight

    Use thick center-cut portions, oil the fish rather than the grate, and cook 4 to 5 minutes a side over medium-high heat.

    What changes
    Best for
    grilling, pan-searing, tacos, lemon and caper sauces, roasting

    The closest flavor match here: firm, clean and mildly sweet in the same register as swordfish, and it takes a marinade equally well. The flesh is slightly flakier and less dense, so it needs a well-oiled hot grate or a grill basket, and it will break if you move it around. It is also lower in mercury than swordfish.

  2. 3Halibut steaks

    Close match

    Use the same amount by weight, cut at least 1 ¼ inches thick

    Season, sear hard, and pull at an internal temperature of about 130F.

    What changes

    Do not cook it past that point.

    Best for
    grilling, searing, roasting, butter and herb sauces

    Dense, sweet and clean, and a thick halibut steak grills as confidently as swordfish. The problem is leanness: halibut has far less fat, so it dries out quickly and goes cottony if you overshoot. Thickness is your insurance, and a knob of butter or a spoonful of olive oil at the end helps considerably.

  3. 4Marlin, opah, wahoo or shark steaks

    Close match

    Use the same amount by weight and thickness

    Treat exactly as swordfish, grilling or searing over high heat until just firm at the center.

    What changes

    Cook them all to just done rather than well done.

    Best for
    grilling, steak-style plates, skewers, Mediterranean preparations

    All are sold as steaks and belong to the same firm-flesh class, so the format is identical. They differ in richness: marlin is a touch drier and firmer, opah is noticeably richer and more buttery, and wahoo is milder with a finer grain. Whichever you find, keep the steak thick and the heat high.

  4. 5Salmon steaks or thick fillets

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight

    Grill skin-side down first, or sear in a pan, cooking to medium so the center is still slightly translucent.

    What changes
    Best for
    grilling, skewers, roasting, bold marinades

    Holds together on a grill and on skewers, and it is available everywhere. The flavor is the trade: salmon is oily and pronounced, and it will overwrite a delicate lemon, caper and parsley sauce that was designed for a mild fish. Pair it with something that can stand up to it, like a mustard glaze or charred lemon.

  5. 6Monkfish

    Different taste

    Use the same amount by weight

    Cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes for skewers, or thick medallions for roasting, and cook until just firm.

    What changes
    Best for
    skewers, stews, roasting, curries, kebabs

    Firmer and meatier than any of the steak fish and completely refuses to fall apart, which makes it the best choice for skewers. It is not sold as a steak though, so you are cutting cubes or medallions rather than plating a slab, and the flavor is sweeter and closer to shellfish than swordfish.

  6. 7Portobello caps or extra-firm tofu slabs (vegetarian)

    Taste and texture differ

    Use the same amount by weight

    Press tofu for 20 minutes, cut into 1-inch slabs, or use whole portobello caps.

    What changes

    Oil well and grill hard on both sides until deeply marked.

    Best for
    grilling, skewers, salsa verde plates, vegetarian versions

    Both survive a grill and both carry a marinade, which is really what a swordfish steak does in a Mediterranean plate. Neither offers any sea flavor or the flaky-dense fish grain, so this becomes a different dish; it just happens to work with the same sauces. Add a pinch of kelp powder to the marinade if you want a marine hint.

What is Swordfish?

Swordfish is Swordfish, sold almost always as thick pale swordfish steaks cut across the body and known in Italian as pesce spada, is a large ocean fish with dense meaty flesh, a mild slightly sweet flavor and enough fat to stay moist on a grill.

Cooking tips

  • Buy thickness, not weight. A steak-cut fish at least 1 inch thick, ideally 1 1/4, is what stops it drying out or collapsing on a grill. A thin fillet will fail no matter which species it is.
  • Swordfish has enough fat to forgive a minute of overcooking, and most swaps do not. Tuna, halibut and mahi-mahi all go dry quickly, so pull them earlier than the recipe says and let carryover heat finish the job.
  • Oil the fish rather than the grate, and leave it alone until it releases on its own. Moving a swordfish substitute too early is the main reason grilled fish sticks and tears.
  • Swordfish is high in mercury, and US FDA advice is that pregnant or breastfeeding people and young children avoid it. If that is why you are looking for a swap, mahi-mahi, salmon and tilapia are among the lower-mercury choices in the same cooking role.
  • For pesce spada alla ghiotta, spiedini, or any dish built on capers, olives, lemon and parsley, the sauce carries the identity. Mahi-mahi or halibut in that sauce is convincing; salmon in it is not, because the fish will dominate.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave the swordfish out?

Not really, since in almost every swordfish recipe it is the main protein rather than an accent. If you have no steak-cut fish, the better move is to change the format: use monkfish cubes on skewers, or cook thick salmon fillets, and keep the same sauce and sides.

What is the closest fish to swordfish?

Mahi-mahi for flavor and mako or marlin for texture, with tuna steaks the most widely available option in the same steak format. All four are firm enough to grill without falling apart, which is the property that actually matters when swapping.

Can I use tuna instead of swordfish?

Yes, at 1:1 by weight and thickness. The main adjustment is timing: tuna is much leaner and turns chalky past medium, so cook it 3 to 4 minutes less in total and serve it pink in the center. The flavor will be darker and more mineral than swordfish.

What can I use instead of swordfish on skewers?

Monkfish is the best choice, because it is dense and firm and will not slide off or crumble. Thick-cut salmon and tuna also skewer well. Whatever you use, cut cubes at least 1 1/2 inches, thread them snugly, and grill over high heat without turning them more than once.

Is there a vegetarian substitute for swordfish steaks?

Pressed extra-firm tofu cut into thick slabs, or whole portobello caps, both grilled hard. They hold up to the grill and to the same salsa verde, caper and lemon treatments, which is the point of a swordfish steak in most recipes. Add a little kelp powder to the marinade for a hint of the sea.

Related substitutes

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