This barbecue fish recipe smells so good on the barbecue that you just might find the neighbors coming around to see what you're cooking (this happens to me all the time)! Marinaded in a tangy Thai sauce (which is also used as a dipping sauce), these healthy, colorful skewers will satisfy the whole family - even your kids will love them. Make up your own combination of vegetables and fish, according to your preference or what you happen to have on hand that's fresh and good.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 4
- 1 lb. - 1 1/2 lbs fresh salmon or other firm fish, preferrably thick fillets or steaks (these are easier to skewer)
- SAUCE/MARINADE:
- 6 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 3 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1/4 cup OR 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced thinly and then minced
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, fresh, dried, or frozen, left whole
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 thumb-size pieces galangal or ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup (or substitute tomato paste)
- optional: 2 tsp. or more chilli sauce (depending on how much or little spice you want)
- VEGETABLES/Fruit: (choose from the following)
- roughly 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cooking onion, quartered (the pieces will fall apart - that's okay. Simply skewers pieces of onion)
- 1 zucchini, sliced (if the zucchini is large, cut slices in half)
- 1 red, green, and/or yellow bell pepper(s), de-seeded and sliced into square-like pieces
- 1 ripe plantain (other types of banana do not work), cut into thick slices
- 1 Japanese eggplant (this is the thinner variety with lighter purple skin), sliced fairly thinly
- OTHER:
- 1 package wooden skewers
Preparation:
- Mix all sauce/marinade ingredients together in a sauce pan. Stirring continually, bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Taste test the sauce for saltiness and sweetness. If too sour, add a little more brown sugar. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If not spicy enough, add more chilli sauce. Note: this sauce shouldn't be too sweet, but rather, it should be tangy (a balanace between sweet and sour).
- Prepare fish by rinsing then cutting fillets or steaks into square or cube-like pieces. Place pieces of fish in a flat-bottomed bowl or on a plate.
- Spoon roughly 5 Tbsp. of the marinade over fish. Gently turn or stir the fish to ensure it is saturated with sauce. Allow to marinate for at least 10 minutes (or several hours).
- Place all vegetables/fruit together in a mixing bowl. Add half (or slightly less) of remaining sauce/marinade. Stir well to mix. All to marinate for 10 minutes (or longer) before skewering.
- When ready to cook, thread alternating pieces of fish and vegetables/fruit onto the wooden skewers. Skewering Tip: Fill only half to 3/4 of the skewer (up to the tip), leaving the lower third empty. This creates a "handle" for the person barbecuing so she/he can easy turn the skewers.
- Barbecue skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are softened/browned and fish is cooked.
- Note that these skewers cook very quickly over hot coals. I've burned mine more than once - be sure to turn them more regularly than you would with meat.
- Serve with white or brown rice plus remaining sauce/marinade on the side (I like to spoon the sauce over the skewers and rice on each plate - it's delicious!).
