Dinner tonight! Swordfish with tomatoes and fennel

Dinner doesn’t get much easier -- or better -- than swordfish steaks.

Cook a couple of swordfish steaks in garlic and fennel for a few minutes on each side, then add a little white wine and whole cherry tomatoes and let the dish simmer away until the steaks are done. Remove the steaks and cook down the liquid with a little slivered fresh basil until it’s nicely thickened (yes, the aroma is amazing!). Pour the sauce over the swordfish and you’re good to go. The dish takes only 40 minutes from start to finish, and you can find the recipe here.

For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery here. Food Editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

ALSO:

Apples 101 ... and 52 recipes

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

You can find Noelle Carter on Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. Email Noelle at [email protected].

Swordfish with tomatoes and fennel

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

2 ( 3/4 - to 1-pound) swordfish steaks

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 pound whole cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves

1. Pat the swordfish steaks dry with a paper towel on both sides. Season each side with a pinch each of salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil, garlic and fennel seeds in a skillet over medium heat until the garlic softens and becomes fragrant, about 3 minutes.

3. Lay the swordfish steaks on top of the garlic and fennel seeds and cook until they turn white on the cooked side, 5 minutes. Turn the steaks over, laying them on top of any excess garlic and fennel seeds and cook another 5 minutes.

4. Add the white wine and tomatoes, cover the pan tightly and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until the meat is easily penetrated with a skewer or paring knife (the swordfish must be well-done or it will be fibrous). Timing will vary depending on the thickness of the steaks -- thin steaks may take less than 5 minutes while very thick steaks may take as long as 15 minutes.

5. Remove the lid and transfer the swordfish to a heated platter. Increase the heat under the skillet to high and cook until the liquid in the pan reduces to a syrupy sauce, about 5 minutes. Pour any liquid that has collected in the platter into the sauce and stir in the basil.

6. Pour the sauce over the swordfish steaks and serve immediately.

Each of 6 servings: 235 calories; 25 grams protein; 2 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 48 mg. cholesterol; 115 mg. sodium.