When I make kababs for the grill, I usually slide shrimp and vegetables onto skewers. But as I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, finfish works equally well on skewers as long as you choose a cut of a firm, meaty species that’s thick enough to cube and thread.

My favorite grilled fish skewers start with offcuts of halibut, which my local fishmonger sells at a lower per-pound price than full fillets. Monkfish is another delicious fish kebabs option. The flesh of this rather ugly fish has a texture closer to lobster than to flaky white fish and stays intact on skewers. Striped bass, mahi-mahi, and Pacific cod loin, the thickest part of a cod fillet, also skewer well and soak up a lemon and herb marinade.

Learn more about grilling fish and get the complete recipe for Marinated and Grilled Fish Skewers in my column.

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Twice as Tasty

Many of my summer meals feature skewers of vegetables and seafood charred to perfection over an open flame. These kebab recipes usually have two components: the items on the skewers and the marinade that coats them. I vary both depending on what’s fresh in the garden and what sounds good on a particular night. Try a sweet or spicy shrimp marinade on vegetables or other meat. Toss fish, shrimp, or chicken in a garlicky marinade written for vegetables. Enhance veggie-loaded skewers with fruit like pineapple chunks, lemon slices, and tart cherries.

I always marinate raw meat separately from fruit and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination. I often grill them on separate skewers too. Most vegetables need to cook longer than shrimp and fish to fully pick up the smoky grill flavor, and some other meats need extra time that would make vegetables black and burnt.

Here are just a few other kebab recipes on the blog. You can find more recipes with grilling marinades in the recipe index.

• Chipotle Grilled Shrimp
• Wasabi-Dusted Grilled Shrimp
• Grilled Shrimp with Chermoula
• Veggie Shish Kebabs with Garlicy Marinade

I often pair skewers with a copper grill mat. You can learn more about this reusable grilling tool in this article that I wrote for The Spruce Eats.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic; it’s only available here.