For a super simple tapas (or main course!) full of Mediterranean flavors, I love these Spanish swordfish kebabs. A quick marinade in olive oil and paprika and then onto the grill for a sear. That’s it! Make a quick sauce, pour some wine, and relax. Dinner is sorted.
Hello, all!
Is is still grilling season? Fall grilling, maybe?
I love to grill all year long so long as we don’t have too much snow out there. (Once we get some good snow cover, I retreat to indoor cooking until it melts and frees my grill again.) The combo of grilled flavor and few pan to clean is too hard to resist.
However, you don’t have to grill these kebabs in order to enjoy them! Any cooking method which can deliver a fair amount of heat and get a good sear on the swordfish will work. Grill pan or broiler are both great if you want to keep them on skewers, but also a hot cast iron skillet will work. Just get them browned on the outside and don’t overcook the middle. Say no to dry fish! š®
Once you’ve made your swordfish, I highly recommend my seriously easy classic romesco sauce to serve along side. Seriously easy and seriously yummy. You won’t be sorry.
What do you need?
- Swordfish Steaks – Go for steaks which are fairly thick since you want to have 1 1/2 inch cubes all around.
- Marinade – Lemon juice provides the acid and olive oil the fat. Then add in the spices – paprika, smoked paprika, and cayenne.
- Sauce – I would recommend a sauce with the skewers, and I have a few ideas down below in serving suggestions section.
How to make this
To make Spanish swordfish kebabs, cut the fish into cubes and soak in a zesty paprika marinade for 30 minutes. Then grill on high for 6-8 minutes until cooked through.
- Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
- Toss with the paprika and olive oil marinade.
- Thread onto skewers and grill until cooked through.
- Serve with romesco sauce.
If you are using wooden skewers, start soaking them now since they need at least 30 minutes.
Tip: If you don’t want to fuss with bamboo skewers, you might want to try some metal skewers. I like the flat blade, sturdiness, and length of these stainless steel skewers.
Cut the swordfish into cubes about 1 1/2 inches in size, trying to keep them all about the same size. Then toss the swordfish with paprika, smoked paprika, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Let that all marinate for 30 minutes.
While the fish is marinating, heat up the grill (or broiler or grill pan), and make the romesco sauce.
Thread the cubes on your skewers and grill on all sides until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
What to serve alongside
What do you serve with tasty kebabs at a tapas party? There are so many choices and any recipe in my Spanish Tapas category would be great!
However, I do have a few suggestions to narrow it down.
First of all, I highly recommend my romesco sauce. I did create the kebabs specifically to pair with the sauce so I think they go perfectly together. But I will concede that an aioli can also work, such as my paprika aioli. And if you’re making a few different tapas, you probably want a few sauces too, so make both.
For this menu, have a fair amount of roasted red peppers on hand. You will need them for the romesco sauce, the pumpkin soup, and for the crab cakes.
Soup – serve in small bowls or cups: for a cold soup make Corn Gazpacho, for a hot soup serve Roast Pumpkin Soup.
Fried tapas – make ahead and recrisp in the oven – Pan Fried Cauliflower Tapas and Spanish Crab Cakes.
Cold tapas – these can be made two to three days ahead – Spanish Spiced Almonds and Marinated Manchego.
Drinks – you want a drink you can make in a pitcher – Sparkling Rose Sangria or Blueberry Mojitos.
If you try my recipe for Grilled Swordfish Kebabs, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
ā Happy Grilling, Annemarie
Grilled Spanish Swordfish Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb swordfish, cut into 1 1/2 " cubes
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch cayenne
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- If you are using wooden skewers, start soaking them now.
- Toss the swordfish with the rest of the ingredients. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes.
- Heat the grill on high or heat up a grill pan on medium high.
- Thread the swordfish onto skewers and grill on high for 6-8 minutes, turning to brown all sides. The swordfish is done when the pieces reach a temperature of 130F.
- Serve with romesco sauce or an aioli of your choice.
Notes
- Wooden skewers: If you use wooden skewers they need to be soaked for at least 30 minutes and can be soaked for up to several hours.
- Swordfish: For even cooking, cut the fish into equal sized pieces.
- Aioli: If you want to use an aioli instead of the romesco sauce, I have two which would pair well: a Paprika Aioli in the recipe for Pinchos Morunos and a simple Garlic Aioli in the recipe for Spanish Tortillas.
- Servings: This recipe will make 4 servings as a main course and 6-8 as a tapas.
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