When we think about summer, we often think about burgers and hot dogs and grilling with friends and family. But, I think we tend to forget about another wonderful treat that is really easy to prepare with friends and cooks well on a grill: kebabs! A kebab is like a burger, its a platform for your imagination to just run wild. Like toppings on a burger, you can put just about anything that your mind can imagine on a kebab. For practical purposes, kebabs are fantastic since you can easily prepare some meats and some veggies and let everyone make his or her own meal. This way, the vegetarians in the crowd can avoid the meat and those that are carnivorous creatures, can pile on the meat. With kebabs, you can please everyone with very little stress. Here however, we decided to go with a non vegetarian kebab but one that takes from a very famous steakhouse and seafood restaurant dish: surf and turf. But, instead of a lobster tail and a filet on a plate, we go with less expensive ingredients and pile them onto skewers to make a succulent kebab that will have your mouth watering.
The three key ingredients to these surf and turf kebabs are a steak (we went with a ribeye), a fish (something like mahi mahi or sea bass would be perfect) and a shell fish (shrimp or sea scallops). Then, to make the kebabs colorful, select a variety of vegetables and fruit. Here, we use zucchini (green), onion (white), bell pepper (red), and pineapple (yellow) to make an absolutely festive kebab. With just a few metal skewers, you are ready to pile on the ingredients and make your guests happy.
However, here, we take it to another level by not just piling on the the ingredients, but instead taking some time to infuse delicious, unique flavors into the meat and seafood. When we think about summer, there are few things that come to mind quicker than chilies and citrus. So, we prepared a tangy marinade with fresh hatch chilies, roasted garlic, and lime juice to marinate the steak. Letting the marinade infuse into the meat and seafood overnight makes for a moist and succulent ribeye and a fantastic combination of heat and citrus to bring out more flavor in the somewhat light seafood. You can marinade for just an hour or so if you are in a rush, but, if you have the time, do it the night before . . . it will be worth it.
Kebabs are something to have fun with and are perfect for parties. We hope that you find this recipe useful for your next cookout!
Enjoy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
Ingredients
- 2 hatch green chilies
- 2 cloves garlic
- 6-7 whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dried mexican oregano
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cilantro leaves
- 1 lime (juice only)
- 1 ribeye steak (about 1 pound, cubed)
- 12 ounces mahi mahi (cubed)
- 10 ounces large shrimp (shelled and deveined)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1 inch squares)
- 1 onion (cut into 1 inch squares)
- 1 pineapple (cleaned and then cubed)
- 1 zucchini (cut into 1/2 inche slices)
- 1/3 cup mayonaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons dried ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon dried mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
Instructions
- To prepare the marinade, first preheat your broiler to high. Place the hatch chilies and garlic on a baking sheet and place in the oven. The garlic will blacken within 5-6 minutes and should be removed immediately. When the peppers are black, remove them from the oven and immediately place in a resealable bag.
- Once the peppers and garlic have cooled, remove the garlic from its papery shell and place in the food processor. Then, remove the hatch chilies from the resealable bag and carefully remove the skin, stem, and seeds. Place them in the food processor.
- Process the chilies and garlic until smooth. Add the peppercorns, oregano, salt, juice from the lime, and the apple cider vinegar. Once the marinade is smooth again, pour into the extra virgin olive oil and process for another 30 seconds. Place the steak, mahi mahi, and shrimp in individual resealable bags with exactly a third of the marinade. Seal and refrigerate for at least an hour (12 or more hours would be best).
- After the steak and seafood have marinated, remove them from the refrigerator and cut the red bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and pineapple. Turn the grill on and allow to heat up for at least 10-15 minutes.
- To make the kebabs, slide the meat and seafood on the skewers, alternating with the peppers, onions, and pineapple until each kebab is full. Be sure to start and end with a piece of the ribeye if possible as the steak will help hold the rest of the ingredients on the skewer when you have to rotate the kebabs on the grill.
- Place the skewers on the grill. Rotate 180 degrees after 3-4 minutes. After another 3-4 minutes have passed, remove the skewers from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes. Your steak should be between medium rare and medium at this point. If you want rare, do 2 minutes per side. If you want well done, do 5-6 minutes per side.
- To serve, slide the meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruit off the skewers and onto a plate. Serve with the red chile sauce and a side of delicious grilled potatoes.
- For the red sauce, 1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until well processed and smooth (3-4 minutes). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
