Summer Swordfish Kebabs Recipe

Nothing says summertime quite like grilled kebabs. After a winter of sheet pan recipes and quick air fryer meals, pulling out the grill for smoky, charred skewers of meat, vegetables, and fish levels up any 30-minute dinner recipe in a way no other appliance can. What makes skewers so great is not just the ease, but also the harmony of flavors that are created when food is grilled in such close proximity. Sure, there are a few essentials to know before grilling kebabs, but for the most part, making skewered meat is as foolproof as it gets when cooking on the grill.

When we think of kebabs, we tend to think of all of the best cuts of meat to grill on skewers, but rarely do we think about fish because of how fall-apart flaky filets can be. One fish, though, is particularly good for grilling because of its thick and hearty steak-like texture and mild flavor. In this recipe, I marinate swordfish, known as the steak of the sea, in a tomato-rich chipotle sauce and pair it with summer vegetables for an easy, all-in-one dish. You don't have to think twice about grilling the vegetables and fish together because they have the same cook time, making this an easier recipe than even a simple steak kebab. Perfect for summer and loaded with flavor, these swordfish kebabs are a unique way to level up your grill game.

This recipe starts with a tomato-chipotle marinade, which is used at the end of the recipe for brushing added flavor onto the kebabs. For the marinade, you'll need a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, yellow onion, a can of chipotle in adobo, cilantro, garlic, lime, and salt. To build the kebabs, then, you'll just need eggplant, summer squash (or zucchini), olive oil, black pepper, and swordfish. When buying swordfish, look for 1 ½ inch-thick steaks with white-to-pink coloring and a mild, briny scent, and buy fresh from a reputable fishmonger if possible.

In a blender, combine the tomatoes, ½ onion, chipotles in adobo, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and ½ teaspoon salt.

Blend until mostly smooth. Reserve ½ cup of marinade to brush on after cooking.

Combine the chipotle marinade with the swordfish in a bag and coat the fish completely. Let it marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

When ready to grill, preheat the grill to 400 F with half direct heat and half indirect heat. Oil the grates well.

Toss the eggplant, squash, and remaining onion with oil in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and toss again.

Build the skewers by first adding a piece of eggplant, squash, and sliced onion to the skewers, then adding a piece of marinated swordfish. Repeat to fill each skewer.

Place the skewers over direct heat and cook, turning once, for 6 minutes. The fish should lift easily away from the grates before turning.

Transfer to indirect heat to finish cooking, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Remove the kebabs from the grill and brush with reserved marinade. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

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The short answer is that yes, you can marinate the vegetables with the swordfish, and it shouldn't change the recipe at all — in fact, you may prefer the vegetables absorbing the flavor of the smoky chipotle peppers, too. To marinate the vegetables, simply add them to the bag (or bowl) with the swordfish and massage the marinade into the vegetables. This is especially useful for eggplant, which acts like a sponge to marinades.

Marinating the vegetables isn't required, though, especially if you prefer the taste of simple, seasoned vegetables like I do. Because this is an all-in-one meal, the marinade is designed to flavor the swordfish while keeping the vegetables as a fresh contrast so that the chipotle doesn't overwhelm the dish. So, if you don't have room for the vegetables in your marinade bag or simply want to avoid the extra mess, leave the vegetables free of the marinade as the recipe instructs, and you'll preserve the lovely balance of flavors.

If you're hesitant to work with swordfish, you aren't alone: There's a reason why restaurant workers avoid the fish. Thankfully for most of us, we aren't likely to ever experience what fishmongers and restaurant workers do when fileting the fish, but just the thought of it can still make us seek out other options — and thankfully, there are plenty of other fish in the sea. Of the many great types of fish to use for grilling, a few make particularly good kebabs, especially coated in chipotle.

While tuna is likely the closest textural match to swordfish, it isn't the fish I would choose first to replace it in this recipe. Tuna, unlike most other fish, is best when served rare, which would be hard to do in a skewer filled with other vegetables. Instead, I recommend using salmon, shrimp, monkfish, or mahi mahi, which are mild in flavor and match well with the marinade. For these, be careful when turning and removing the skewers from the grill, because these fish become flaky when cooked.

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