Grilled Lemon and Garlic Salmon Kebabs

Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-7When Nathaniel was born in February, my parents, as well as one of my sisters with her husband, made the long drive from NY to FL to celebrate with us and to meet this newest family member. A few weeks later, my other sister and her family also came for a visit. Whenever our New York family comes to Florida, we local siblings get together almost every day of the week too. We love spending time together and make the most of these visits. Of course, since we want to spend more time together doing fun things (like going to the beach, shopping or playing all kinds of games, from basketball and volleyball to Settlers of Katan or Uno), we try to keep the kitchen duties to a minimum.

We still like to have some good food though. We have some favorites that are staples for us when we need to feed a crowd, while at the same time are very simple to put together and are still healthy and tasty. I have give credit for this recipe to my Mom. Just a few days after we were finally home from the hospital and all my siblings came over to our place, Mom took over the menu and  suggested making Salmon Kebabs. She and Dad had already made in NY a few times, so she knew that we would all love it too.

The Salmon Kebabs were the stars of the show. Everyone just raved about them. Ever since then, we have been serving these Kebabs at many, many family get togethers. You’ve probably seen me share these kebabs on my social media several times this year.

Seafood and lemon are always a great match and with the addition of garlic and fresh herbs, the salmon is really flavorful. Cooking the salmon very quickly on high heat gives it that amazing smoky flavor and beautiful char, but keeps the fish very juicy. I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for months, ever since the first time we tried it. I’ve finally taken the time to take pictures of the whole process and am sharing it with all of you. Everyone needs healthy, quick and delicious dinner options that can easily feed two people or a crowd. 

Ingredients:

3 lbs salmon boneless, skinless fillet

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 – 1 teaspoon lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon juice, and 1 lemon to serve with the salmon

1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional oil for the grill grates

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-12Cut the salmon into 1 1/2 inch cubes. If you bought salmon with the skin on, here’s a tutorial on how to easily remove the skin. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine. Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-11Thread the salmon onto skewers. 1 used 12 inch metal skewers. From 3 lbs of salmon, you should end up with about 8 kebabs. Place the salmon pieces close to each other, so they don’t dry out as they are grilling. If you have thinner pieces of salmon, from the tail end of the fillet, fold them over while you are threading the salmon onto the skewers, so that they will be the same thickness as the rest of the salmon pieces and cook at the same rate.

Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-10If you are using bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading the salmon onto them. This will help the skewers from splintering when you are threading them onto the skewers as well as preventing the ends from burning too quickly on the grill. (Although they still might burn if they are too thin.)

You can marinate the salmon up to a day in advance, just don’t add the lemon juice until the last minute. Keep it refrigerated. The acidity in the lemon juice may cause the salmon to be mushy, since acid breaks apart the delicate salmon. 30 minutes before grilling, add the lemon juice and let the salmon come to room temperature, before placing it on the grill.

Preheat your grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes, covered. Clean your grill grates. Take a wad of paper towels and holding them with a pair of tongs, dip them into a small bowl of oil and brush the grill grates 3-5 times. This will help to create a barrier on the grates, making them somewhat nonstick. Even though fish is very delicate and will still stick a little bit to the grill, brushing the grates numerously with oil helps a lot in preventing your whole kebab from tearing into a sorry mess, but instead creating beautiful charred grill marks.

Place the salmon skewers on the preheated grill grates and grill, on high heat, for about 5 minutes per side. Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-9Don’t grill them longer than 10-12 minutes total, since the salmon will be very dry if you overcook it. Don’t be nervous that the fish will be undercooked. Trust me, it won’t be. Seafood cooks very quickly and there’s nothing worse than dry, overcooked fish.

Squeeze more fresh lemon juice on the grilled kebabs and sprinkle with more fresh parsley.  Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-8

Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs-1-7

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Grilled Lemon Garlic Salmon Kebabs
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 8 kebabs
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs salmon boneless, skinless fillet
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon juice, and 1 lemon to serve with the salmon
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional oil for the grill grates
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Cut the salmon into 1½ inch cubes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine.
  2. Thread the salmon onto skewers. 1 used 12 inch metal skewers. Place the salmon pieces close to each other, so they don't dry out as they are grilling.
  3. Preheat your grill on high heat for at least 15 minutes, covered. Clean your grill grates. Take a wad of paper towels and holding them with a pair of tongs, dip them into a small bowl of oil and brush the grill grates 3-5 times. This will help to create a barrier on the grates, making them somewhat nonstick. Even though fish is very delicate and will still stick a little bit to the grill, brushing the grates numerously with oil helps a lot in preventing your whole kebab from tearing into a sorry mess, but instead creating beautiful charred grill marks.
  4. Place the salmon skewers on the preheated grill grates and grill, on high heat, for about 5 minutes per side. Don't grill them longer than 10-12 minutes total, since the salmon will be very dry if you overcook it.
  5. Squeeze more fresh lemon juice on the grilled kebabs and sprinkle with more fresh parsley.
Notes
If you are using bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading the salmon onto them. This will help the skewers from splintering when you are threading them onto the skewers as well as preventing the ends from burning too quickly on the grill. (Although they still might burn if they are too thin.) Place the salmon pieces close to each other, so they don't dry out as they are grilling.

You can marinate the salmon up to a day in advance, just don't add the lemon juice until the last minute. Keep it refrigerated. The acidity in the lemon juice may cause the salmon to be mushy, since acid breaks apart the delicate salmon. 30 minutes before grilling, add the lemon juice and let the salmon come to room temperature, before placing it on the grill.

19 Comments

  • Katy | Her Cup of Joy

    Judging from all of those family pictures at the bottom, these salmon kebabs must very delicious! I love how your family enjoys trying such yummy recipes! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  • Tanya

    Olya,
    These look so good!!!! Your mom is a genius for coming up with such delicious recipes!!!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe! I don’t have a grill, do you think I can make it in the oven? If yes, what temperature should I use? Should I cover it or not? To compensate for the smoky grill flavor, add liquid smoke? See, I am good at baking, but not so good at cooking. Thank you for your time, expertise and response.

    • olgak7

      Yes, my Mom is a brilliant cook. You could probably cook the salmon kebabs in the oven, but under the broiler and for about 5 minutes per side only. Fish overcooks SO quickly. I would also put the oven rack as high as you can, so the fish is right under the broiler.
      I personally don’t like using liquid smoke, but if you do, go ahead.
      I hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it turns out.

  • Milana

    I can remember trying these salmon kebabs for the first time! We were wowed and they are now one of our favorites! Thanks for always having us as guinea pigs 🙂

    • olgak7

      Someone needs to do the job, LOL. You guys are all such willing subjects. I love having you over and getting all your feedback on the food that comes out of our kitchen.

  • lydia Sutakowsky

    Hello Olga, I found your blog last week (was looking for a bulochki recipe) and ended up going through many of your posts about your life and health. Oh my – you are one tough, brave little woman! I started crying when I read about the safe arrival of your son. God bless. I am an Australian dietitian with Russian parents so I could relate to your stories deeply. Its ironic that a food blogger would be kept nourished by TPN.
    Last night I cooked these salmon kebabs – they were easy, fast and delicious. Thank you. Stay well lovely Olga and cherish that beautiful boy of yours.

    • olgak7

      Thank you for the kind words, Lydia and welcome to my blog. I still get tearful thinking of my miracle baby boy.
      I’m glad you enjoyed the Salmon Kebabs.

  • AD.NZ

    Hi Olga, I was looking thru the web for recipes when I came across your website, LOVE it cause your recipes
    are easy to follow. I am so crazy about cooking, I am from New Zealand we love our food in the oven, in the ground ( HANGI ) and on a BBQ. I am so glad I found this website so enjoy your recipes, keep up the fantastic work, I will try your salmon kebabs tonite. Thanks

  • Aleksandria

    This is an amazing recipe! Salmon is my favorite type of fish meat. Will definitely make this for the family gathering!
    Thanks for sharing:)

    • olgak7

      I buy it at many different stores in the area. I just buy whatever looks fresh. We have many good options in our area, Publix, Fresh Market, Costco, Whole Foods, local fish markets. I hope you’re able to find something in your area too, Kristina.

      • Kristina

        Thank you Olga I will check out those stores for sure for the fresh salmon! Thank you for sharing delicious recipes!

  • Inessa

    Just made these but without garlic since hubby is allergic to it, I always have to substitute things since most Russian and Ukrainian food has onions and garlic, nevertheless I added toasted sesame oil and apple cider vinigar to give it some kind of a yummy flavor and they where delicious! I just am so tired of making salmon the regular way, so we are in love with this recipe and idea of a kabob. Each piece is so flavorful, just melts in your mouth! Thank you for sharing this, love your blog it’s so beautiful!

    Inessa Bilak

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