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Don’t Just Prepare Your Dinner; Make It A Real Cooking Experience

Merri Lou Dobler Correspondent

Recipe instructions sometimes seem so cut and dried, but handling food can be a sensual experience, a very satisfying activity.

Today’s swordfish is a good example. It’s not just slapping a mixture on fish and broiling it. No, no, it’s much more.

Here are my instructions for preparing Swordfish with Lime: First, take a firm, juice-laden fresh lime that you’ve carefully selected at the store. Rinse it under water. Take a sharp knife and cut it in half. Bring one half up to your nose and breathe deeply. Ah-h-h-h-h! The lime scent goes deep into the brain, activating senses and emotions. Pure contentment.

Gently squeeze the lime juice into a clear bowl. Watch how the juices run over your fingers, releasing that clean, sharp smell. Remove the seeds from the juice.

Turn the broiler on, adjusting the oven rack to a medium position. Take your bottle of olive oil and carefully measure out 2 tablespoons, gently adding it to the lime juice. Pull out your pepper grinder and add some fresh pepper to the mixture. Swirl the bowl, and mix the blend with a pastry brush.

Oh, so carefully, remove the swordfish from its wrappings (remember, a little goes a long way - especially at $7.99 a pound). Rinse under water and pat dry on a clean towel. Run your fingers over the curves and ridges in the fish steak, noticing the firm flesh and texture.

Place the fish on the broiler pan and brush the lime juice mixture on the top side. Put the pan in the oven, leaving the oven door slightly open so you can keep an eye on the fish.

While the fish is cooking, check the progress of the wild rice, freshly steamed asparagus and sweet California strawberries that will accompany the entree. Slice the rest of the lime for garnish.

Using tongs, turn the fish over and brush the top side with the rest of the lime mixture. Finish cooking, using the general rule of 10 minutes per each inch of thickness.

Set the table, light the candles, and call the family. It’s not just time for a mouth-watering swordfish entree; it’s time for an experience.

Swordfish with Lime

From “Simple Southwestern Cooking” by Judy Walker (Northland Publishing).

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lime

Black pepper

2 swordfish steaks

Preheat broiler. Combine olive oil, lime juice, and pepper. Brush onto swordfish. Broil fish 10 minutes for each inch of thickness. Turn halfway through cooking time, if desired.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 237 calories, 38 grams protein, 8.2 grams fat (31 percent fat calories).

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.