This baked swordfish and asparagus with lentils and chermoula is a restaurant-style meal that comes together quickly and easily. Delicious and healthy.

Baked swordfish and asparagus on baking sheet with lentils and chermoula and carrot salad sides in bowls

This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

As the weather is improving, I for one get more in the mood for lighter meals and spring produce. However it's not quite warm enough here for me to feel truly up for grilling.

A great compromise is dishes like this baked swordfish and asparagus. It's an incredibly easy meal to make, but it's so fresh and delicious. Not to mention healthy. In other words, big win!

This dish is loosely based on a dish we had in a local restaurant not too long ago. We go out with the kids relatively often but we rarely go out without them.

close up view of baked swordfish and asparagus with chermoula drizzled on top

I won't bore you with the ins and outs, but lets just skip to when my mother in law was in town recently, we finally went out a couple times within a couple days. It felt kind of odd!

But it meant we got to try some great places we wouldn't normally get to with the kids. There's some great creativity in our area, we really should explore some more.

One of the nights we had a lovely dish of swordfish with chermoula. I was aware of chermoula sauce, but I can't remember when I last had it. That has since changed and it is a regular for us.

chermoula sauce in mortar with lemon and cilantro to side

What is chermoula?

Chermoula is a North African sauce that is often used as a marinade or topping to fish, but also increasingly with vegetables and meats. There are a number of variations, but most include:

fresh cilantro,
garlic,
cumin,
olive oil.

Some are mildly spicy, others less so.

Herbs give that sense of spring for me (like the Persian herb frittata I shared recently), as does asparagus (with roasted asparagus a favorite). Fish we can eat any time, and can easily make it spring-like too.

Swordfish is something we might cook on the grill in the summer but it also works in the oven. And it's easy to add in some asparagus to help make this a meal.

baked swordfish and asparagus on baking sheet with sides of lentils and carrots in bowls and extra sauce to side

We both loved the dish in the restaurant, so I knew I needed to make my own variation at home soon. This baked swordfish and asparagus was a fantastic, easy adaptation. It is so quick to make, it's perfect for a busy night but has that restaurant quality feel.

I made some green lentils and added roasted fennel as well as some chermoula to go alongside, which worked so well.

See how easily this dish comes together in the short video!

This baked swordfish is such an easy meal to make that's packed with flavor. Easy to put together, it's a fantastic combination that's healthy too. Restaurant quality that's quick enough for a week night. In other words, a meal you need to be putting on the menu.

Baked swordfish and asparagus topped with chermoula and bowls of lentils and carrots to side, from overhead

Looking for more asparagus recipes?

Tomato asparagus quiche
Asparagus with easy blender Hollandaise sauce
Spring salad with asparagus, strawberries and goat cheese toasts

If you enjoy swordfish, you might also enjoy this Sicilian swordfish with olives and capers.

Plus get more spring recipes and seafood recipes in the archives.

Baked swordfish and asparagus with lentils and chermoula

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes