Summer Fridays: Seafood Kabobs

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Whew, it has been some time since I last posted. Life has been a bit of a sprint, both literally (completed my first half marathon!) and figuratively (work has been insane), so the blog naturally received the short end of the stick. In my last Summer Friday post, Jake and I were in the thick of Tour de East Coast and in the midst of spending time with his family in Maryland. Let’s rewind to the second stop on the tour, the Outer Banks, with my family.

From the time my family started traveling down to the Outer Banks when I was 6, this laid back beach destination became our happy place. I think it’s safe to say that OBX holds even more importance now, as our yearly descent into the little islands off the coast of North Carolina serves as one of the rare times a year my family is all together.

                                    Grateful for family time in OBX

Throughout the years we developed traditions, such as blasting Vacation (or “Bacation” as we lovingly dubbed it, thanks to younger me) by the Go Gos to kick off the trip, Mom’s meatballs the first night, a night out at Colington Cafe, and one of my favorites, going to the local seafood market to get fresh seafood for mom’s seafood risotto. Yes, a large majority of our traditions revolve around food. Can you tell we’re Italian?

This year, my mom wasn’t able to join us due to work, so she passed the meal planning/cooking baton to me. Now, I LOVE my mom’s risotto, but I decided to switch our seafood night up this year by making a variety of seafood kabobs. I mean, living in a city is great, but I miss having everyday access to a grill— have to take advantage of one when I do have access, you know?

I decided to go with fresh scallops, shrimp, and salmon at the seafood market and paired them all with different ingredients to appeal to the various tastes of our group. I thought one would emerge as the winner of the trio, but they were all hits and a great way to wrap up an incredible trip with the people* I love.

Since I’ve been a slacker the past month, I’ve included all three recipes below.

Enjoy!

Skinnytaste’s Grilled Salmon Kabobs
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes

Tools:
Grill or grill pan
Skewers (if you use a grill pan, cut the skewers in half or buy the 6″ skewers for better coverage)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 pounds skinless wild salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds
Olive oil cooking spray
1 tsp kosher salt
16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 30 minutes to 1 hour

1. Heat the grill on medium heat and spray the grates with oil
2. Mix oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside
3. Thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total
4. Spray the fish lightly with oil and season kosher salt and the reserved spice mixture
5. Grill the fish, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes total

Shrimp Kabobs with Chimichurri
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4-6 minutes

Tools:
Grill or grill pan
Skewers (if you use a grill pan, cut the skewers in half or buy the 6″ skewers)

Ingredients:
1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves (I subbed in more parsley, since Jake and my brother have the soap gene)
1/4 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 24), peeled and deveined (tails on)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

1. Preheat grill to medium-high
2. Process parsley, cilantro, basil, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add lemon rind, juice, crushed red pepper, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; process until finely chopped and well combined
4. Toss together shrimp and 1/4 cup herb mixture. Thread 4 shrimp onto each of 6 (8-inch) skewers. Drizzle skewers with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with black pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. Place skewers on grill grates coated with cooking spray. Grill just until shrimp are done, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Brush skewers with remaining herb mixture before serving

Skinnytaste’s Grilled Scallop and Orange Kabobs with Honey-Ginger Glaze
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-6 minutes

Tools:
Grill or grill pan
Skewers (if you use a grill pan, cut the skewers in half or buy the 6″ skewers)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp raw honey
2 large navel oranges
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
oil for the grill
24 jumbo sea scallops, about 2 lbs
kosher salt and black pepper

1. Cut the ends off the oranges, and cut the remaining oranges into 4 1/2-inch thick slices; Cut each slice into 4 pieces; Squeeze the juice from the remaining oranges to get 4 tablespoons
2. In a small bowl combine honey, 4 tbsp orange juice and ginger
3. Heat the grill or a grill pan to high; Clean grates oil well so the scallops don’t stick to the grates
4. Thread the orange and scallops onto the skewers, starting and finishing with the orange; Season with salt and pepper; Grill about 2 minutes on each side, until the scallops are opaque throughout, then brush and baste with the sauce and cook 30 to 60 more seconds on each side

*Mom, you were very much missed

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