Grilled swordfish simply good

Here’s a swordfish special that has a lot going for it, tasty fish and accompaniments included. This combination dish, with protein, vegetable garnish and starch, also has a sensible nutrition profile, including only moderate fat levels.

The swordfish steaks can be cooked on the grill, in a stovetop grill pan or under the broiler. Tabbouleh, which you may see also spelled taboule or tabbouli, is a Middle Eastern salad made from bulgur wheat, tomato and cucumber. And it often seems to be sprouting as much fresh, green chopped parsley as grain — or more.

The recipe is from “The New Woman’s Day Cookbook” (Filipacchi, 2005, $35), characterized on its cover as a collection of simple recipes for every occasion. The nicely varied recipes are edited by cookbook writer Elizabeth Alston and the editors of Woman’s Day magazine, presented with color photos and plenty of helpful hints.

Swordfish with Cucumber Sauce and Tabbouleh

For the tabbouleh:

5.25-ounce box tabbouleh mix

1 large cucumber 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup diced tomato

For the cucumber sauce:

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

Four 3/4 -inch-thick swordfish steaks (6 to 8 ounces each)

Olive oil cooking spray

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

To prepare the tabbouleh:

Cook mix as package directs. Meanwhile, peel half the cucumber, then cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Dice or chop the peeled half for the cucumber sauce, the unpeeled half for the tabbouleh.

When the tabbouleh mix is cool, add the lemon peel, lemon juice, tomato and the diced unpeeled cucumber. Stir to mix. Let stand at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.

To make the cucumber sauce:

Put yogurt, dill, garlic, salt and peeled diced cucumber in a bowl. Stir to mix.

Heat outdoor grill, stovetop grill pan or broiler.

Coat fish with cooking spray; season with salt and pepper. Grill fish, turning over once, about 8 minutes until barely opaque when pierced in thickest part. Serve fish with cucumber sauce and tabbouleh alongside.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 379 calories, 9 grams fat (3 grams saturated, 21 percent fat calories), 43 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrate, 72 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams dietary fiber, 978 milligrams sodium.