Grilled Swordfish Kebabs
Although I love cooking, during the summer my husband takes charge. As our resident grillmeister he loves being outside in the evening watching over the grill. He prefers using real wood charcoal for the delicious flavor it imparts but usually dinner is made on our propane grill. He watches over the grilling as intently as a mother bird watching over her chicks, glass of wine in one hand, tongs in the other.
One of the easiest summer meals is to grill kebabs. There are many options available at the supermarkets already set on bamboo skewers but my husband is adamant about grilling most items separately. He’s right because when you grill vegetables on the same skewers as meats or fish, you might end up with some items undercooked while others border on burnt. Zucchini chunks don’t cook at the same rate as chicken. Despite the convenience of pre-made kabobs, it’s a lot cheaper to prepare your own and certainly not difficult at all.
Shopping at Big Y the other day, I saw “chunks” of swordfish on sale. I grabbed a pound and planned on kebabs that evening. I hadn’t planned it out very well however because the only vegetables I had that could be grilled along with the fish were onions and large Yukon gold potatoes, not quite the kebabs I originally envisioned. But as necessity is the mother of creativity, we had a solution. I cut the potatoes into large cubes and steamed them in the microwave until they were a bit tender but not fully cooked. The swordfish and potatoes could both be grilled for 8-10 minutes, making them the perfect couple for the kebabs – even on the same skewers.
To add a bit of flavor to the fish and potatoes, I marinated them for a half an hour in a little soy sauce and some balsamic vinaigrette. This was just enough to add extra flavor and keep the kebabs moist while cooking. I poured a couple of glasses of wine and enjoyed the cool evening while watching the grillmeister at work.
GRILLED SWORDFISH KEBABS
1 pound of swordfish chunks – cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup low sodium soy sauce, divided
2 cups bottle balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, divided
4 large Yukon gold potatoes – cut into 1-inch cubes (or 12 whole baby gold potatoes)
¼ large sweet onion
4 skewers
Put the fish into a small bowl and pour in half of the soy sauce (1/4 cup). Toss well and let it marinate for 5 minutes before adding in 1 cup of balsamic vinaigrette and continue to marinate. This will allow the soy sauce to seep into the fish a bit before the rest of the marinade. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, put the potatoes into a small bowl with a little water and steam in the microwave for about 8 minutes until they begin to soften but are not completely cooked. When done, drain the potatoes and lightly toss them with the other ¼ cup of soy sauce and cup of balsamic vinaigrette. Set aside until the fish has marinated for the full half hour.
Separate the onion into layers – you should have about 8 large pieces.
Onto each skewer place an onion, alternate the swordfish and potatoes, end with another piece of onion. The onions will help keep the other pieces more securely in place.
Lightly oil your grill and set the heat to medium high. Grill the kebabs for 4 minutes then flip them over and grill for an additional 4 minutes. The fish and potatoes should be lightly charred.