A typical looking "Espada" dish at any Madeira restaurant

It is difficult to ship the Black Scabbard fish abroad as it does not keep well and is best served fresh. Despite that, many efforts are undertaken by locals who want to send their homesick relatives abroad a bit of heart warming Madeira memories: frozen scabbard wrapped tight in foil leaves the island in temperature controlled parcels. Those lucky enough to acquire some fillets can try the recipes below.

Black Scabbard with Fried Banana

Ingredients: 4 scabbard fillets, salt to taste, fresh ground pepper to taste, several cloves of garlic, lemon juice, 2 eggs and a cup of bread crumbs.

Preparation: season the fish with the salt, pepper, crushed garlic and lemon juice. Roll the fillets in flour and then dip the fish fillets in the beaten egg yolks. Finally cover with the bread crumbs Heat a pan of oil and once hot enough lay the fillets into the oil and bake until the fish turns a crispy golden brown. Drain the excess oil and then fry slices of banana lengthways in the pan.