This recipe was originally published in late May 2007 and is a repost from the archives. I will be back next week with some all new recipes. Thanks!
I have never successfully grilled fish before. So I am seeing this as a bit of a mini victory and the first strike against the evil forces preventing me from becoming a grill master. BBQ: three, me: one. We cycled over to the cabin this weekend and I have zero cookbooks over there at the moment so I picked up a copy of Canadian Living’s special edition specifically on grilling. It was a great deal because it was full of good ideas including the Chicken Tikka I posted yesterday and this recipe which I have modified quite a bit. The trick seems to be to really grease the grill down after pre-heating and cleaning and before putting on the fish. Anyone having any tips for grilling fish?
Why Marjoram? Because I am enamored with it, it is growing fresh on my porch at the cabin, and I have a lot of it. I think, of all the things I have growing over there, the parsley and the marjoram are by far thriving the most. So then, why did I call the post “lemon oregano”? Because according to multiple sources oregano is marjoram and vice versa, they are simply variations on each other where marjoram is frequently considered the milder herb. Because of that you could easily use any fresh herb in the oregano family for this and because of the lemon you end up with a lovely Greek inspired marinade to compliment the salmon. I have is fairly close to oregano judging by it’s stronger then normal flavour and large leaves.
Lemon Oregano Salmon Skewers
(serves 2)
2 salmon fillets, skin removed, deboned
2 tablespoons fresh oregano\marjoram, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
1 lemon, thoroughly washed
1 dried chilli pepper
skewers, if they are wooden don’t forget to soak them first
1. In a bowl or container large enough to accommodate the salmon combine the oregano, salt, and pepper. Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and add them as well.
2. Grate the zest of the lemon into the bowl and juice half of the lemon into the bowl. Slice the other half and set aside. Add the olive oil and stir thoroughly.
3. Cut the salmon into 3 cm square pieces and toss with the marinade for 10 minutes.
4. Put 3-4 pieces of salmon on each skewer and finish each with a piece of lemon. Reserve remaining marinade.
5. On a greased grill over medium heat place the skewers and brush them with more of the marinade. Grill them for about 8-10 minutes total, with the lid down, turning twice. Check a thick piece after about 7 minutes.
More Recipes:
Roast Salmon with Cilantro Pesto
Seared Tuna with Japanese Dipping Sauce
Grilled Chile-Coriander Chicken
It is shameful really, I haven’t gotten it together to participate in WHB in at least a month because Kalyn only hosts them once a month and I am pretty sure she was hosting the last time I did. Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event started by Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen to encourage bloggers to use herbs and even veggies in their cooking. Don’t forget to check out the roundup this coming Sunday on Kalyn’s Kitchen.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Katerina,
It looks like you gonna conquer the BBQ beast…you heated, cleaned and oiled your grill, important for any grilling but especially seafood.
The salmon looks moist and it sounds like you got the doneness right. Next time, try generously brushing the salmon at the end (like souvlaki). You won’t get any unwanted flare-ups and the hot meat will absorb your marinade.
Ohh good tip thanks! I will totally do that.
Hooray, you’re cooking fish on the grill. The oiling the grate is quite important. I recently made a great Mahi Mahi (not posted yet) and I had to cook it again because both the pieces I cooked stuck to the grill and although they tasted great, they weren’t photo-worthy. Hate it when that happens. Your salmon skewers look perfect.
Don’t you just hate it when it tastes fantastic but doesn’t look good?
Hi Katerina,
This is my 1st time here. Nice blog you have here
. These salmon skewers looks totally juicy.
Hi Katerina,
Your dish looks intriguing and my hubby has decided to be perfect in fish this season, so he has to try this!! 
I agree with Kalyn, and with you too. Most important is the taste.
I’ve recently taken to BBQ’ing EVERYTHING but I’ve yet to try fish (I’ve done a fantastic lemon/oregano shrimp skewer though). I just assumed it would be best to get a fish grilling basket first – are you telling me that I could do without as long as I properly oil the grill???
That’s what I did – so that is what I am saying. I have had success before with fish – do make sure you have a nice hot grill that is very well oiled. Also this is my best success in terms of good looking grilled fish, sometimes it doesn’t come off this well, but I found that the smaller area of the kabobs really helped.
Cheers
Woah! I eat to eat these RIGHT NOW! I wish I could make food that looks that good! ha ha! My food always turns out a bit ugly looking!
Kat, this looks just as delicious as when you first posted this, yum!
Looks delicious! I haven't done salmon kebabs in ages.
I've found that metal skewers work better than wood since the skewer heats up and helps cook the item from the inside out. This provides a more even cooking without drying out the fish/ meat.
Plank grilling also helps maintain the moisture, but this would be for whole pieces, not kebabs.
That salmon looks delicious! I don't have a BBQ (small apartment, no yard) but I've been doing lots of skewers in my griddle pan. That salmon will be going on the menu for this week!
The easiest way to ensure fish doesn't stick to the grill is to coat both sides (can be bit of a mess) with good ol' mayonnaise. Besides keeping fish from stickiing, it helps sear the edges so the 'meat' doesn't dry out and even helps hold any herbs in place. This trick is especially yummy with fresh halibut.
SarahKate – let me know how it turns out!
Hg – Not a big fan of mayo, but I will try anything out once…