Some kind of wonderful

Billfish has the least visually appealing meat of all the fish I have come across so far. Sickly pale and opaque, its flesh looks like sleeping lard that reminds me of a certain kind of shark’s, if without the appeal of being illegal. And it’s expensive. For that my mother blames her friend Helen.

“Why,” Ma sighs, “the labasero (fishmongers) used to sell it for a song until your Tita Helen proclaimed to the whole mercado how expensive it was in Cebu!” I believe she exaggerates — many personal food mythologies have been built on less plausible apocrypha. After all, billfish (in this part of the world likely swordfish, but widely referred to as blue marlin) is considered first-class. Yet if you aren’t already aware how good it is once cooked, seeing it raw can be very unencouraging.

The problem with billfish is that, like liver, it can be quite unforgiving. Cook it a little too long and you get rubber. If you think that’s hyperbole, you’re welcome to see for yourself. To get around this, you only need take a few basic precautions, and some of them apply to other fish (and meat) as well.

If you’re not new to this corner, you should know I have given this advice many times before. So why do it again? Let me put it this way: You upload a photo on Facebook, meticulously providing the date and location (because you’re OC, say). Then a “friend” asks: “When/where was this?” Or: “Have you been there?” — never mind that you’re in the foreground grinning like a rabid monkey. Some people, right? Now you know how I feel.

But I digress. For starters, tell the fishmonger to slice the fish at least an inch thick. The thicker the slice, the more moisture it will be able to hold (retain, really). Next, blot the surface of the fish with a paper towel. A dry surface sears faster. As for seasoning, salt and pepper is basic, but feel free to add your choice of herb or spice (turmeric, for one, goes great with fish; in case you haven’t noticed, I prefer to stick to dry marinade). Do this some 15-30 minutes before cooking; marinating too long can cause fish meat to turn mushy.

Notice the shallow cuts on the skin side? They’re to facilitate even cooking on that side, swordfish skin being quite thick. You won’t need them if you have round slices (if it’s not obvious, I used belly).

Now to cook. If you’re grilling, get the coals crazy-hot. If frying, same with your pan (if you have a cast-iron skillet, now’s the time to use it). Brush the grill/drizzle the pan with oil. It only takes around 3-5 minutes for each side of the fish to brown. What you’re aiming for is a seared surface and a moist interior, like with steak.

(If pan-frying, it can be especially tempting to wait for the skin and exterior of the meat to crisp up. With billfish, don’t — that way lies disaster. It’s not that kind of fish.)

And that’s all there is to it. Sound easy? The secret to life is not to make it any harder than it has to be. But let’s get back to Facebook, shall we? Every once in a while someone would ask me — often in person: “You mean you cooked the food in those pictures? Really?” And I’m always tempted to say, “Nah, I just like stealing the occasional photo and passing it off as my own.” Or, “Don’t tell anyone, but I have Chef Boy Logro’s twin chained in the basement; makes it so darn hard to lose weight.” But I save my sarcasm for here (and we don’t have a basement — or at least I’m saying we don’t).