Fish House Recipes, 1940s

The Swordfish Species

During the summer months, the swordfish congregate off the New England coasts, and their capture becomes a regular branch of the fishing industry. Swordfish come to the top of the water for the purpose of "sunning" themselves.

Boats are equipped with a platform or "pulpit" on the end of the bowsprit. A man in the rigging, sighting a swordfish, directs the boat to a position where the fisherman in the pulpit drives a harpoon into the dozing fish. In the event that the fish is not instantly killed, the rope attached to the harpoon enables the fish to be drawn to a dory and killed by a thrust with a lance. It is quite a common thing for an angry fish to attack the man in the dory, and skill is a necessary adjunct to this kind of fishing. The New England species attains a length of 12 feet and the average weight of a swordfish is from 300 to 400 pounds. Under 100 pounds they are sold as "baby" swordfish.

Swordfish is a most acceptable article of food, and has many points of excellence. It is nearly all solid meat and has a very low per cent of refuse. In food value it ranks with the best. In flavor it is much like bluefish. In texture it is coarse, the thick, fleshy, muscular layers resembling the halibut. The meat is sometimes sold in steaks and is fine broiled, baked or fried.

Its pugnacity of nature is in keeping with its physical equipment, which makes it the most formidable fighter of the seas, and it readily vanquishes the shark or whale in combat. It is claimed that the plague of man-eating sharks on the New England coasts recently is largely due to the fast diminishing swordfish which formerly kept the sharks away. The swords are sold as curiosities.

Related Recipe
Broiled Swordfish


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