Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa
Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa is fresh, vibrant and cooks in minutes! A simple sauce works as both a marinade and an easy salsa topping!
Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa is fresh, vibrant and cooks in minutes! A simple sauce works as both a swordfish marinade and an easy salsa topping!
My daughter’s pescatarian phase has graduated into a way of life. And if there’s anything I have learned from parenthood, even when children throw you curve balls, you quickly learn to adapt and embrace the change with each phase in life.
So even if it means I’m dirtying more dishes at dinner cooking for all the eaters in our family, it also means we are all eating more fish, which is a good thing.
Swordfish has become a favorite for all of us — it’s a fish we can all agree on! Since it’s a firm fish, I’ve found it to be the best suited for grilling, taking on grill marks beautifully and releasing from the grill with ease. And because it is mild in flavor, I can quickly add vibrant flavors for a dinner the whole family will love.
Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa
Fresh herbs, garlic, and citrus were my inspiration behind these Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa, not to mention the need for a quick and simple dinner in under 30 minutes!
This week has been especially cramped for time since my daughter has been busy with auditions and callbacks, so you can imagine how I’ve been turning to simplicity!
Let’s chat about this marinade for a second, shall we? What makes it awesome is that it adds two layers of flavor! About half of it is used to marinate the fish, allowing it to soak in the citrus-herb flavors, and the other half gets tossed with more bites of orange, garlic, and herbs in a salsa that adds freshness to every bite. A double duty marinade makes this so easy!
Double duty…story of my life! It’s all about finding those shortcuts without sacrificing flavor, another life lesson that translates from the kitchen to real life.
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Thai-style Salmon Burgers
Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa
Ingredients
For the Swordfish Marinade
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 scallion chopped in 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mandarin orange juice
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mandarin orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa
- 1 1/2 pounds swordfish sliced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup mandarin oranges (about 4 mandarin oranges peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch pieces)
- 1/4 cup scallions finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Swordfish Marinade
- Fresno chili (optional) finely chopped
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Swordfish Marinade
- Place the cilantro, garlic, scallions, orange zest, orange juice, sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse until the marinade ingredients are finely chopped and the consistency of a thick sauce.
Make the Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Citrus Herb Salsa
- In a large, glass bowl, stir in 3 tablespoons of the Swordfish Marinade to the prepared swordfish. Make sure the swordfish is evenly coated with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for about 30 minutes.
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.
- When ready to grill, preheat the grill to high. Thread the swordfish onto prepared wooden or metal skewers. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Grill the swordfish kebabs for about 3 minutes per side, or until the swordfish is cooked through.
- While the swordfish cooks, finish the salsa by combining remaining swordfish marinade with oranges, scallions, garlic, and Fresno chili, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the swordfish is grilled, remove from grill and serve with salsa. Enjoy!
Absolutely GORGEOUS dish, Liren!!!
These kebabs look so delicious, Liren! Love the salsa too!
Thank you SO much, Laura! The salsa adds so much zing!!
This looks SO delicious. Such a perfect summer dinner idea! I can’t wait to try the salsa too!
Thanks, Liz! It’s also a great excuse to grill year round :)
Can you broil?
Hi Sharon, yes, you can absolutely broil the kebabs – it should take about 10 minutes, be sure to rotate a few times. Hope that helps!
This fish is uncommonly beautiful! I feel like I am in the middle of a magazine dinner party when I look at these photos!
Dorothy, that is the ultimate compliment, thank you so much!! I love that they are dinner party worthy but are so easy, that it’s great for busy weeknights, too!
These look amazing! I don’t cook with swordfish enough.
Thank you so much, Julia! I’ve been cooking with swordfish more and more…it’s so meaty and perfect for grilling…plus the best part is that we all love it! :)