Skewers, Kebabs, and Brochettes

It seems like there are as many names for food-on-a-stick as there are cuisines — skewers, kebabs, brochettes, satay, souvlaki, yakitori, spiedini, and churrasquinho — each unique to their countries of origin. In most inland cultures, the protein of choice is often beef, chicken, or pork. In coastal regions, in addition to those meats, shrimp is fairly common. What we don’t see very often are fish kebabs — not to be confused with shish kebabs.

But rich and meaty fish like salmon, halibut, and swordfish are ideal for skewering and grilling. Below are five of our favorite fish and seafood kebabs to grill this summer. Don’t have a grill? Not to worry, these can all be cooked on a grill pan or under a broiler.

Prosciutto gets delightfully crispy, protecting delicate halibut from the heat of the grill, and the light char on the croutons make them extra flavorful, especially when paired with a bright, herbaceous chimichurri sauce. These showstopping skewers are perfect for an al fresco dinner party.

Meaty cubes of swordfish are coated with a fragrant Moroccan-inspired spice blend before being grilled to perfection. It’s served with a quick-pickled cucumber salad to balance the richness of the fish.

Al pastor is traditionally a Mexican dish of thinly sliced pork that’s been marinated for a long time in an adobo sauce of chile, vinegar, and pineapple and roasted vertically on a spit. Here, chunks of quick-marinating salmon take the place of the pork and are threaded on skewers with pineapple and red onion.

Yakitori is a traditional Japanese grilled chicken skewer that is marinated and glazed with a sweet, sticky soy sauce called tare. Salmon is a great pescatarian alternative, though we think sablefish (black cod) would be equally delicious.

A simple herb sauce is all you need to dress these luscious, sweet scallops. However, wrapping them in ribbons of zucchini or par-cooked bacon adds flavor and flair.