When I heard Chef Jeff Lambert would be making Swordfish with Fresh Herb Aioli for our “In the Kitchen with…” series, I was like, “Game on.” I love fish. Lambert loves food. And cooking. And he's been that way since he was a kid. “My dad was one of those old-school macho guys, and he was a little worried about how interested I was in food and cooking at first. But by the time I was nine years old, I was grilling better than he was, and he loved it. My mom and paternal grandmother were amazing cooks, and I still do what they suggested. Nobody can do it better than them. I miss them both.”
Lambert didn't go to culinary school, but he started working in restaurants while in college, and the rest is history. “My freshman year of college I got a job at a fine-dining restaurant. It was a nice place,” Lambert says. “I worked there with a guy who was happy to teach me. I didn't last long washing dishes. He was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. We're still friends today.”
Lambert made a name for himself on the island. “I worked at a French restaurant called Le Grenier in Vineyard Haven, where The Attic is now,” he says. “The upstairs was a fine-dining restaurant and the downstairs was like a bistro and bakery. I was cooking downstairs and I was a big success. I came up with a unique flavor of duck with raspberries and orange sauce, and it was a big hit.” The dish was so well-received that Yankee Magazine did an article about Lambert and his raspberry-glazed duck.
When his daughter was born, Lambert decided to quit the restaurant business. “When my son was born, I wasn't around all the time. The restaurant business isn't really conducive to family life, so I quit,” he says. “I started working in construction, which I still do in the off-season, and I also do a little bit of housework. I missed cooking, but I didn't want to go back to the restaurant business, so I went into catering.” Lambert now I have had the pleasure of working with V. Jaime Hamlin and Sons Catering & Party Design. “Jamie is a professional. She's obsessed with food and style.”
Luckily, you don't have to be a pro to make Lambert's Swordfish with Fresh Herb Aioli recipe. It's not that complicated, and it doesn't even have to involve swordfish. “You can use any fish you're going to put on the grill,” says Lambert. “The star of the show is the aioli sauce. I came up with the idea for this sauce about 10 years ago using things from my garden. I also love lemons. I use a lot of lemons, so I like preserved lemons. I use the whole lemon.”
To accompany his swordfish, Lambert chose asparagus, spring onions, and boiled new potatoes with parsley. “You put the asparagus on the grill at the same time that you're cooking the fish. You cook the fish on one side, flip it over, and then put the asparagus on top,” he said. “One of the things I like about this dish is that it's not too timing-specific.”
Lambert's tip is to not let the aioli sit on the fish for too long before grilling it: “You can use it as a marinade for chicken overnight, but don't leave it on the fish for more than 30 minutes, because the citric acid from the lemon will start to cook the fish and you'll end up with undercooked fish.”
To make the aioli, combine fresh parsley, dill, and chopped basil in a food processor with about 1 ½ cups good quality mayonnaise, 6 to 8 roasted garlic cloves, coarse salt, and about ½ cup chopped preserved lemons. (Joan Lambert's recipe for preserved lemons is here.) bit.ly/MVT_PreservedLemons) If you don't have preserved lemons, you can use the zest of 2 lemons. The aioli will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
“Set your grill to its highest temperature. I like to put a bit of wood, such as applewood, on the grill to create a nice smoke. The wood creates a nice mild smoky flavor,” Lambert said. “Place the fish on the grill and drizzle it with aioli.” Grill for about five to seven minutes. Then flip it over, brush that side with more aioli and add the asparagus. “Swordfish is almost done in about seven minutes per side at the highest temperature; try cooking it for less time. Set a timer and check the fish at about 10 minutes. Poke it with a fork. If it flakes easily, it's done.”
The smells coming from the grill were amazing, and because we were in Lambert's backyard, I was constantly worried the neighbors would come rushing in and ask what we were cooking. When we were done, Lambert plated the fish with new potatoes and asparagus, and it looked amazing. It was a little early in the morning to eat, but Lambert asked me if I wanted to take it home for dinner with my husband.
“Are you kidding me?” I said. “YEAH!” At that point I had been drooling for like 20 minutes so I had to at least try it. delicious. The fish was tender, the asparagus was soft but not mushy, the potatoes were cooked to perfection, and the Lambert's aioli was magical – fresh, fragrant and creamy – and best of all, not overly complicated.
“You can't go wrong with a dish if you look for the freshest ingredients possible,” says Lambert. “Keep it simple. I've made amazing dishes with just fresh tomatoes and corn. And like anything else, if you don't understand something, read up on it. I have a ton of cookbooks and I read them like books. And lastly, don't take yourself too seriously. This morning my first batch of roasted garlic burned, but so what? I started earlier and made more. No big deal.”
This is such great advice. There are so many things in life that are no big deal, but I know some people (like me) find cooking intimidating. Lambert's suggestions include keeping it simple, using fresh ingredients, reading a book, and relaxing. It's doable. And lest I forget, that night my husband and I had the most magical dinner. We had swordfish with fresh herb aioli. I think our plates were empty in under five minutes.
Swordfish with Fresh Herb Aioli
Jeff Lambert
For the aioli:
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley, dill, and basil
8 garlic cloves (roasted)
1/2 cup salted lemon, chopped (or the zest of 2 lemons)
Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Brush generously over fish or chicken and then grill. Cook fish for 5 to 7 minutes per side.
Parsley-flavored new potatoes and butter
Boil baby potatoes until tender. Drain and mix with butter, salt, pepper and freshly chopped parsley.
Grilled asparagus with spring onions and shredded lemon jam
Toss the asparagus and leeks with olive oil, finely chopped lemon jam, salt and pepper and grill until lightly browned.
