Fire up the BBQ and grill these delicious and healthy Salmon Skewers flavoured with lemon and rosemary.
BBQ fish
For just one week last month we had glorious sunshine and temperatures soared into the high 20Cs which is incredibly uncharacteristic for the UK this time of year. It's no surprise that the first thing we did was dust off the BBQ and enjoy a taste of al-fresco dining. I can't believe that this weekend is another scorcher! AND its a three day weekend!!!
Normally BBQs are a really meaty affair (these Memphis style ribs are my absolute favourite thing to cook) but as we were BBQing mid-week and I didn't want to cook anything too calorific I opted for fish. Jon was happy just throwing on some vegetarian sausages for him but I had grand plans for the single salmon fillet in our fridge.
As tempting as it was to just throw it on the BBQ to just do its thing, I decided to dice it up and thread it on to a couple of bamboo skewers along with cherry tomatoes and a few pieces of yellow pepper. A delicious, healthy meal of BBQ fish was starting to form...
Home-grown herbs
I had a think about how I might want to flavour the salmon skewers. When pairing herbs with salmon dill, tarragon and lemon thyme are the obvious choice. Sadly I'm not growing any of the above at the minute so I had to get a little creative.
I knew I'd be squeezing a generous helping of lemon over the salmon so I had a think about the other herbs on our outdoor shelves which would go well with both the lemon and the salmon. Lemon and rosemary is quite a classic combination to serve with chicken and isn't salmon just the chicken of the sea?! I was confident it would be a wonderful light, fresh and zingy combination and I was right!
I finely diced a few sprigs of rosemary and added them to a shallow bowl of olive oil, salt, pepper and grated lemon zest. Next, I added in the salmon, tomatoes and peppers, then gave it all a good rub in the flavoured oil before placing them on the skewers and finally on to the BBQ.
I also added the lemon to the BBQ (halved) so that it would get warm and jammy - when squeezed over the salmon before serving it adds a really wonderful sweet citrus flavour which is so much nicer than harsh, raw lemon juice!
Hot, hot, hot!
Because the salmon skewers had been tossed with oil I avoided them sticking to the grills of the BBQ and falling apart. I also kept the temperature high so that the salmon would get a nice char on the outside but still be soft and juicy in the middle. The tomatoes burst and blistered - just the way I like them!.
I used bamboo skewers which I had soaked in water to make sure they didn't burn on the BBQ - In hindsight I should have used the stripped rosemary twigs! Not only does it look super cool (especially if you leave a few leaves on the end) but it adds even more fresh rosemary flavour to the salmon.
After just 5 short minutes on the BBQ (turning once) they were ready to be served. I ate mine with a simple rocket salad, herby potatoes and coleslaw. Squeezing over the warm lemon just took it all up another notch. It was delicious and not too unhealthy either!
The recipe
BBQ Lemon and Rosemary Salmon Skewers
Equipment
- Bamboo skewers
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary fresh, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 fillet salmon skinned, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 0.25 yellow pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 0.5 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare your BBQ and wait until the coals are white hot.
- Combine the oil, rosemary, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Add the salmon, cherry tomatoes and yellow pepper pieces.
- Ensure the salmon, cherry tomatoes and yellow pepper and coated in the flavoured oil before threading on to the bamboo skewer(s).
- Place the salmon skewers directly onto the BBQ grill along with the half a lemon (cut side down)
- Grill the salmon for 4-6 minutes turning just once.
- Serve immediately with a squeeze of the BBQd lemon.
Nutrition
I don't know what it is about BBQing and cooking outside that I love so much. Its just a fun, laid back way of cooking and of course its always nice to be out in the sunshine. I'm hoping we get a few more sunny weekends before the year is out.
What are your favourite dishes to cook on the BBQ?
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