Use This Tool and Recipe to Become a Kabab-Grilling Wizard!
Do you like to grill skewered fruits and veggies when grilling your steaks, burgers, and dogs? Skewers are also called kebabs, yakitori, souvlaki, satay, and brochettes—depending on where you’re from.
At their best, skewers are evenly cooked, deeply flavored, and served piled high on a platter near the grill. While there’s no such thing as a bad skewer (don’t we all like to eat anything off of a stick?), some skewers are better than others.
One determinant as to how good they are is the tool you’re using. I’ve tried grilling skewers with my veggies loaded onto chop sticks. Not the best idea. Even after a good long water soak, the sticks still tended to burn.
While wooden skewers are better than no skewers, the safety benefits of reusable, metal skewers simply make them the best option. Metal skewers never catch on fire, splinter, or do both at the same time. Metal also doesn’t need to soak in water to become grill-safe—it’s born flame-ready.
So, metal skewers were purchased and tried. They did work better—they didn’t burn like my chopsticks did. But I still had a little struggle keeping the food (fruit, specifically) from falling off of them. I know I have a lot to learn about kabab grilling, and will admit it might be the operator and not the tool. But the traditional skewer approach isn’t winning me over.
Anyone relating to this? If so, then you might like to know what does win me over. It’s kabab baskets. They let you ditch the skewers (and save your hands). Just fill them up with your favorite meat or veg combo, and you’re golden. Say “HELLO!” to no-fuss kababs!
A set of 4 nonstick-coated baskets (for quick release) with hardwood handles (for easy flipping), sells for around $23 (amazon.com). These baskets turn you into a kabab-grilling wizard.
One last skewered kabab thought: As I research the topic, I’m finding lots of chefs and avid grilling fans are in accord on one thing. They all say that whatever tool you use, kababs taste best grilled over charcoal. Would you agree? (Just some food for thought—pun intended).
I’ll close with a very good recipe found on www.food52.com for a grilled salmon kabob. If you’re a fish-lover, then you know salmon is good any old way you serve it. But if you want to take it to a whole new level, serve it kabab-style with this amazing radish sauce. You can thank me later, and we’ll thank Food52 now!
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)
Kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup shredded radishes
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets cut into 1-inch pieces (ask your fishmonger to remove the skin)
3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika and cayenne (divided equally to equal ¾ teaspoon)
1 small handful fresh cilantro or mint leaves, for serving
Directions:
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At their best, skewers are evenly cooked, deeply flavored, and served piled high on a platter near the grill. While there’s no such thing as a bad skewer (don’t we all like to eat anything off of a stick?), some skewers are better than others.
One determinant as to how good they are is the tool you’re using. I’ve tried grilling skewers with my veggies loaded onto chop sticks. Not the best idea. Even after a good long water soak, the sticks still tended to burn.
While wooden skewers are better than no skewers, the safety benefits of reusable, metal skewers simply make them the best option. Metal skewers never catch on fire, splinter, or do both at the same time. Metal also doesn’t need to soak in water to become grill-safe—it’s born flame-ready.
So, metal skewers were purchased and tried. They did work better—they didn’t burn like my chopsticks did. But I still had a little struggle keeping the food (fruit, specifically) from falling off of them. I know I have a lot to learn about kabab grilling, and will admit it might be the operator and not the tool. But the traditional skewer approach isn’t winning me over.
Anyone relating to this? If so, then you might like to know what does win me over. It’s kabab baskets. They let you ditch the skewers (and save your hands). Just fill them up with your favorite meat or veg combo, and you’re golden. Say “HELLO!” to no-fuss kababs!
A set of 4 nonstick-coated baskets (for quick release) with hardwood handles (for easy flipping), sells for around $23 (amazon.com). These baskets turn you into a kabab-grilling wizard.
One last skewered kabab thought: As I research the topic, I’m finding lots of chefs and avid grilling fans are in accord on one thing. They all say that whatever tool you use, kababs taste best grilled over charcoal. Would you agree? (Just some food for thought—pun intended).
I’ll close with a very good recipe found on www.food52.com for a grilled salmon kabob. If you’re a fish-lover, then you know salmon is good any old way you serve it. But if you want to take it to a whole new level, serve it kabab-style with this amazing radish sauce. You can thank me later, and we’ll thank Food52 now!
Salmon Kababs with Radish Raita
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 63
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 63
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)
Kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup shredded radishes
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets cut into 1-inch pieces (ask your fishmonger to remove the skin)
3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika and cayenne (divided equally to equal ¾ teaspoon)
1 small handful fresh cilantro or mint leaves, for serving
Directions:
To make raita: mix yogurt, 1/3 cup shredded radish, and a few pinches of kosher salt and black pepper in a bowl. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil until shimmering, then add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, remove from heat. Empty the contents of the skillet (oil and spices) over the raita. Mix well to incorporate, and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
In a bowl, mix together the salmon with 1/4 cup of the raita, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder. Set the remaining raita aside.
Thread salmon pieces on metal skewers (or bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour) and place on a foil-lined sheet pan (you can also cook these on the grill). (Tip: thread the salmon on two skewers so the pieces don’t flip when you’re trying to turn them.) Drizzle a few teaspoons of vegetable oil evenly over the skewers.
Preheat broiler (or heat grill) and set oven rack about 6 inches below the heating element. Broil kebabs about 3 minutes, then flip and continue cooking another 3 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 115F for medium-rare, or 125F for medium.
Transfer salmon to plates or a serving platter; serve warm. Garnish the raita with remaining shredded radish and cilantro or mint leaves, and serve with the salmon.
In a bowl, mix together the salmon with 1/4 cup of the raita, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder. Set the remaining raita aside.
Thread salmon pieces on metal skewers (or bamboo skewers soaked in water for 1 hour) and place on a foil-lined sheet pan (you can also cook these on the grill). (Tip: thread the salmon on two skewers so the pieces don’t flip when you’re trying to turn them.) Drizzle a few teaspoons of vegetable oil evenly over the skewers.
Preheat broiler (or heat grill) and set oven rack about 6 inches below the heating element. Broil kebabs about 3 minutes, then flip and continue cooking another 3 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 115F for medium-rare, or 125F for medium.
Transfer salmon to plates or a serving platter; serve warm. Garnish the raita with remaining shredded radish and cilantro or mint leaves, and serve with the salmon.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
