Succulent and juicy pan grilled fish skewers are the perfect party food which you can easily make at home and impress your guests instantly! Ditch the take out and treat your friends & family with these homemade pan grilled fish skewers!
Making party food at home does not necessarily need to be intimidating. You can make simple & easy recipes which look stunning when served and will never fail to impress your guests! These pan grilled fish skewers fit that bill perfectly and any guest of yours, fish-lover or not, will be blown away by this! Trust me!
This pan grilled fish is a super-quick recipe where you just need to marinate the fish and then thread them in a skewer along with veggies of your choice and just grill for 10 to 12 minutes.
You don’t have to sweat in the kitchen to make impressive dishes for your guests when you plan short & sweet recipes which are sure shot winners! The magical marinate works wonders for this grilled fish and I’m almost certain that you all will fall in love with it once you give this a try!
Choice of fish for making this pan grilled fish skewers
This recipe of grilled fish is very customizable and can be adapted by any fish of your choice. If you are not sure of which particular variety of fish to use, worry not; I am here to help!
Since you will be threading the fish cubes into bamboo skewers, you will need a boneless fish. Any boneless and skinless fish filet can be used here; just cut them into small chunks of 1 inch length.
I used basa filet for my grilled fish as this is a very popular choice here in India and tastes amazing too! Other recommended choices of fish would be cod, salmon, haddock or any thick & meaty fish which is not fragile so that they can be threaded into the skewer without falling apart.
If you are a shrimp lover like me, you can use this magnificent marinade for making pan grilled shrimps as well. The marinate is so creamy and flavorful that it will complement any white meat or fish of your choice.
Ingredients for Pan grilled fish skewers
Boneless fish filet: As mentioned above, you can use any firm meaty fish for making your pan grilled fish. Just ensure to use boneless & skinless filet. I used basa fish for my recipe which is a very popular choice of fish in restaurants these days.
Zucchini: Thin ribbons of zucchini pairs really well with succulent fish cubes; also zucchini cooks fast along with the fish.
Bell pepper: Add some crunch with bell peppers. You can use bell pepper of any color that you have handy. I used yellow as that’s what my refrigerator had.
Onion: Caramelized onion tastes wonderful and adds smokiness to the dish. It balances the creamy texture of the grilled fish cubes with its sweetness.
Melted butter: Butter is the base of the marinate for this grilled fish. Try to use a high quality butter as it will determine the final flavor of your fish.
Fresh cream: Along with butter, fresh cream adds extra creaminess to your pan grilled fish skewers. You can use double cream (aka whipping cream) or single cream.
Italian seasoning: This mix of herbs adds the most necessary flavor to your fish cubes. All the goodness of Italian herbs are packed in one bottle and I suggest you have this handy as it transforms not only this but many other recipes e.g. pastas & bakes.
Garlic powder: Garlic is a must have aromatic for any fish recipe and this one is also not an exception. I prefer using garlic powder instead of freshly grated garlic as that may burn during grilling leaving a bitter aftertaste.
Dijon mustard: Another component of creaminess and also adds a sharpness to balance the creamy sweetness of the marinade.
Lemon juice: Round up everything with the tartness of lemon juice as this recipe is a perfect combination of sweet, savory and sour.
Salt & black pepper: The final seasoning which will extract the taste of all the magical ingredients above.
How to make Pan grilled fish skewers
This is a very quick and easy recipe as I would want you to spend time with your guests instead of sweating in the kitchen when you host a party for your friends and family!
Step 1: Wash and cut the fish filet into small chunks of 1-inch length. Take them in a bowl and season them with a pinch of salt & pepper. Mix well. Set them aside for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cut the bell pepper in 1-inch chunks. Cut onion into big chunks and then separate the petals. Slice out long & flat ribbons of zucchini using a peeler. Season all the veggies with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Take a large bowl and add all the marinating ingredients to prepare the creamy marinate for fish – melted butter, black pepper powder, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, fresh cream, Italian seasoning and salt. Whisk them thoroughly so that everything is mixed up evenly.
Step 4: Drop the seasoned fish cubes into the prepared marinade and mix well so that each fish cube is coated evenly on all sides. Leave them for 30 more minutes at room temperature. You can pre-prep until this step a day ahead of the party.
Step 5: After about 30 minutes or when you are ready to grill, take one bamboo skewer at a time and thread the fish cubes & veggies alternatively i.e. one piece of bell pepper & onion, then one cube of fish followed by 1 folded ribbon of zucchini. Then again repeat the sequence until the skewer has about 1 inch gap left at the top.
Step 6: When you are ready to grill, heat a cast iron grill pan until smoking hot. Then lower the heat to medium and brush melted butter on the grill grates.
Step 7: Place the fish skewers on the hot grill pan in a single layer and grill them without disturbing for 8 minutes on medium flame. Brush melted butter on top.
Step 8: After about 8 minutes, flip them over and grill the other side for 5 more minutes on medium. Then take them out and serve on a platter. You pan grilled fish skewers are ready to devour!
Step 9: Sprinkle fresh dill over the grilled fish skewers and serve with tangy tartar dip which is the best accompaniment for any fish or seafood!
Other party food from Flavor Quotient you will love
- Chili Lime Grilled Shrimp *Video Recipe*
- Indian Spiced Grilled Shrimps
- Best Ever Homemade Chicken Tikka
- Tandoori Lamb Skewers
- Boneless fish filet – 500 gms, cut into 2-inch cube
- Zucchini – 1, small
- Yellow bell pepper – 1, small
- Onion – 1, small
- Melted butter – ½ cup
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
- Garlic powder – 1 tsp
- Dijon mustard – 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice – ¼ cup
- Fresh cream (double or single) – ⅓ cup
- Italian seasoning – 2 tsp
- Take the fish cubes in a bowl and season them with a pinch of salt & pepper. Mix well. Set them aside for 30 minutes.
- Cut the veggies as shown in the video. Season each veggie with salt & pepper. Set aside.
- Prepare the marinade for fish by mixing all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk them thoroughly so that everything is mixed up evenly.
- Drop the seasoned fish cubes into the prepared marinade and mix well so that each fish cube is coated thoroughly on all sides. Leave them for 30 more minutes.
- After about 30 minutes, thread the fish cubes and veggies alternatively as shown in the video.
- When you are ready to grill, heat a cast iron grill pan until smoking hot. Then lower the heat to medium and brush melted butter on the grill grates.
- Place the fish skewers on the hot grill pan in a single layer and grill them without disturbing for 8 minutes on medium flame. Brush melted butter on top.
- Then flip them over and grill the other side for 5 more minutes on medium. Then take them out and serve on a platter.
- Sprinkle fresh dill over the grilled fish skewers and serve them with tangy tartar dip. Enjoy!
Liked the recipe? Let us know!