Spiced Salmon Kebabs

Bon Appétit (June 2013)

So, to be honest, we don't really "get" kebabs.

We never really have. To us, it seems like an awful lot of work to cut everything and carefully thread it on a skewer, only to have to take it all off the skewer before you can eat it. And while we like the idea of flavor combinations you can create on a kebab -- say, lamb and cherry tomatoes and mint and zucchini -- it's not as if the flavors actually meld or combine while on the skewer. They're just...adjacent.

Personally, we're much more inclined to just throw everything in a grill basket and sear it that way.

Still, we zeroed in on these kebabs the moment we saw them in the June Bon Appétit. They look so fresh and light and summery.

We decided to set aside our prejudices and get to kebabbin'.

The prep for this dish is simple -- except for the part about actually threading the skewers. It's not like building a kebab is brain surgery, but threading the fish and the lemon slices onto the skewers took us the better part of 15 minutes. Maybe we're kebab-challenged?

The recipe includes a helpful note that you should make your kebabs on double-skewers, so they're easier to flip on the grill. That's a great tip that we've seen work once before, when we made Grilled Squash Ribbons. 

There's one thing in the ingredients worth mentioning: the "preferably wild" note on the fish. At our grocery store, the wild salmon filets were far too thin to cut into skewerable pieces. That's something to keep in mind when you're shopping for this recipe.

One other thing about the fish, which the recipe actually doesn't call out: Buy already-skinned salmon! We didn't think about that at the seafood counter, and we ended up spending 15 frustrating minutes trying to skin the fish ourselves. It was a waste of time -- and of fish, since we didn't do a very clean job of skinning. Save yourself time and energy, and make sure you buy already-skinned fish.

After the skewering and the grilling and the deskewering, how'd the kebabs taste? Very good. We really loved this spice combo, which we found really unique and different. Fresh oregano, sesame and cumin? That's not a mix we've ever had before, and it was especially delicious on the salmon. (Incidentally, the next evening, we roasted a salmon using the spice mixture, which was great.) And grilling the lemons takes out their sting, making them a wonderful bright complement to the somewhat earthy, spicy fish.

So the flavors are great. Really great. But the whole time we just kept thinking, "Are the kebabs worth it? Couldn't we have saved a ton of time by just chucking this all into a grill basket?"

Are we alone in our kebab ambivalence? What about you -- are you a fan? 

 

 

Spiced Salmon Kebabs
Bon Appétit (June 2013) - Recipe by Alison Roman
Subscribe to Bon Appétit
Nutritional Information available at BonAppetit.com 

(This photo: Hirsheimer & Hamilton for Bon Appétit)

Serves 4
Active: 25 mins | Total: 25 mins

Notes from Zach and Clay of The Bitten Word

• The recipe calls for "preferably wild" salmon. At our grocery store, the wild salmon filets were far too thin to cut into skewerable pieces. That's something to keep in mind when you're shopping for this recipe.
• One other thing about the fish, which the recipe actually doesn't call out: Buy already-skinned salmon! We didn't think about that at the seafood counter, and we ended up spending 15 frustrating minutes trying to skin the fish ourselves. It was a waste of time -- and of fish, since we didn't do a very clean job of skinning. Save yourself time and energy, and make sure you buy already-skinned fish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Special Equipment

• 16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour

Preparation

• Prepare grill for medium heat. Mix oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside.
• Beginning and ending with salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total. Brush with oil and season with reserved spice mixture.
• Grill, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, 5–8 minutes.