These incredible grilled swordfish kebobs are super flavorful and so easy! With our recipe, you’ll quickly marinate swordfish in a lemon pepper marinade, thread them onto skewers, and grill them to perfection.
My family loves these quick and easy swordfish kabobs! Our simple lemon pepper marinade adds fresh flavor, and thanks to the swordfish’s natural fattiness, you don’t have to worry about it drying out on the grill. Plus, since they’re cut into bite-sized pieces, they cook up in just a few minutes!
Serve these fish kabobs with rice, like our Mexican rice, or on top of a salad, like this homemade Caesar salad. For more swordfish recipes, see our grilled swordfish with coriander and lime.
Key Ingredients
- Swordfish: This meaty, fatty fish can be cooked just like a steak and is great grilled. Since it’s more firm than other fish, it’s easy to cut into cubes for kabobs. You can use mahi-mahi, salmon, or tuna if you don’t have swordfish.
- Lemon and Pepper: I use the zest from a lemon and then serve the swordfish with fresh lemon wedges to squeeze over the cooked fish. For the pepper, use a pepper grinder on a course setting, so that you see it on the fish.
- Anchovy Paste and Thyme: These round out my marinade. I marinate swordfish cubes with olive oil, lemon zest, pepper, anchovy paste, and thyme before skewering and grilling them. The marinade is simple but makes the swordfish taste incredible. If you’d prefer, use finely minced anchovies instead of anchovy paste.
How to Make Grilled Swordfish Kabobs
This swordfish recipe is so simple. It starts with my easy marinade of olive oil, lemon zest, black pepper, anchovy paste, and thyme.
Cut your swordfish steaks into cubes (so they cook quickly and are easy to skewer), and then toss them into the marinade. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (more if you’d like).
While the fish marinate, soak wooden skewers in water so they don’t burn when you are grilling.
When the fish is ready, heat your grill (or a grill pan), slide the swordfish cubes onto your skewers, and then grill. Since you’ve cut them into cubes, they will only need a few minutes on each side. Then, serve with fresh lemon.
Lemon Pepper Grilled Swordfish Kabobs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My family loves these quick and easy swordfish kabobs! Marinating the swordfish adds so much flavor. We recommend marinating for 30 minutes. You can marinate for longer, but no longer than 4 hours.
You Will Need
2 swordfish steaks, about 6 ounces each, 1-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons anchovy paste or minced anchovies
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
8 wooden skewers
2 lemon wedges for serving
Directions
1Cut swordfish into 1-inch cubes and add them to a resealable plastic bag.
2Add the olive oil, lemon zest, black pepper, anchovy paste, and thyme to the bag and seal. Gently massage the bag until the marinade is well mixed and the fish is coated. Place the bag onto a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3Meanwhile, submerge the skewers in water so they soak.
4After 1 hour, heat a grill to medium-high heat (or place a grill pan over medium heat).
5Divide the swordfish cubes between each skewer, then grill until just cooked through, for about 2 minutes per side.
6Transfer to a serving plate and serve with lemon wedges.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Swordfish alternatives: You can use mahi-mahi, salmon, or tuna if you don’t have swordfish. I love checking Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch to see the best options when buying seafood!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Excellent! Simple, quick and really good.
We are thrilled you enjoyed them, Karen!
Also have used this recipe for tuna and scallops. So good!
Oh wow, that’s super helpful to know. Scallops are such a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
the only way we cook swordfish at home. great recipe.
Wow, this is amazing. I’m so happy you enjoy our recipe.
We eat fish often and I especially like it grilled. I have followed this recipe for swordfish kabobs several times and it is one of my go to favorites!
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it and thank you for coming back!
Joanne, Thank you for this terrific reference link on the fish options. We eat lots and lots of fish around here, and, I am allergic to swordfish and certain waters that they thrive in as well. (Yeah, a bit weird, perhaps like me LOL). Not so funny tho when an allergic reaction occurs. I made this with a local halibut and used your wonderful combination of herbs (fresh from my garden, along with some garden veggies). A BIG hit again at our table thanks to this luscious recipe site. I might be back each night to answer the question of “what’s for dinner tonight”…Thanks! Sharon
Cannot wait to try this! I made made squid with anchovy paste a few times and was thinking what else I could use the paste for. This recipe looks fabulous! Thank you for sharing!
Hi there, I use anchovy paste quite a lot (use it to season dishes as you would salt). I also use it or chopped anchovies for eggless Caesar dressing.
I was wondering what other fish you might recommend to replace the swordfish? I believe swordfish is still considered to be overfished, but I’d love to try this recipe.
Thanks!
Hi Angie — great question. According to the 2012 Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list, Mahi Mahi (Troll/Pole from the U.S. Atlantic) would be best. You can see the list here.
Oh man this looks delicious! And your photographs are beautiful! Everything here looks great!
I recently launched my own blog, I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think! 🙂 Thanks!
The combination fo flavours is amazing! So fresh and light. Whata great summer dish!