Swordfish

Swordfish (family Xiphiidae) were not a significant food fish until the late nineteenth century, though they were apparently harpooned and consumed by people on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in the early 1800s; these people also salted the swordfish for trade to the West Indies. In American cookbooks swordfish were virtually ignored until the later 1800s, though the fish appeared in the market. Swordfish has meaty flesh and large bones, which helped it gain popularity, and it is enjoyed grilled and baked.