Salmon Kebabs with Grilled Vegetable Orzo

Hooray! It is finally grilling season! I was really starting to believe this day would never come. The sun is out, it’s nice and warm, and I am ready to fire up the grill. As you will see over the next few months, I take any opportunity I can to use the grill. Easy to use, delicious flavor and less clean up — the perfect combo!

OK, prepare yourselves for a slightly sexist comment…are you ready? In most families, the husband does the grilling. Am I right? I am not sure why this trend started, or where in the grilling handbook it says “for men only,” but I am here to change that. In my family, I do most of the grilling. My husband has all the proper tools (think automatic meat thermometer, full set of stainless grilling tools, even a steak brander with his initials) and he likes to take his turn on the grill, but I think he would agree that the cooking, in any format, is mainly my domain. So here is my challenge ladies: go out there this memorial day weekend and grill that chicken, flip that burger, watch the grease drip through the grates and cause a flare up…it’s easy and fun!

One of my favorite things to cook on the grill is fish. Many people don’t cook fish in their homes because of the potential for a lingering fish smell, but when you cook outside on the grill, there is no smell to worry about. I especially enjoy grilled salmon – it cooks quickly, holds up well in the grilling process, and can be grilled in many ways: salmon steaks, cedar plank salmon and salmon kebabs, just to name a few. Today I decided to make salmon kebabs and put a grilling touch on one of my favorite pasta salads as a side dish.

Step one when it comes to grilling kebabs in to soak your skewers. This step cannot be rushed out skipped. You need to soak your skewers in water for at least 45 minutes to ensure that they don’t burn while on the grill. Note: this only applies to wooden skewers. If you use metal skewers, you can skip this step. Something else to note when counting how many skewers you need: I like to use 2 skewers per kebab. Remember that, I’ll explain why later.

While the skewers are soaking, you can prepare your kebab ingredients – salmon and lemon. Cube the salmon into 1 inch cubes, and slice the lemons as thinly as possible. Easy at that.

Once the skewers are soaked, take 2 skewers and skewer a piece of salmon through both. Then fold a piece of lemon in half and add it to the skewer. Then another piece of salmon, then lemon, salmon, lemon, salmon, lemon…you get the idea. You want to start and end with a cube of salmon, so my kebabs each had 6 pieces of salmon and 5 lemon slices. Now why do I use 2 skewers? The double skewer method allows the food to stay flat while cooking and makes it easier to flip. If there is only 1 skewer through the middle of the food, the food tends to roll over while flipping, making it hard to get both sides grilled evenly.

Once everything is skewered, drizzle both sides with olive oil and sprinkle on salt, pepper and oregano. Set them aside while you prepare your grilled vegetable orzo side dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and 1 box of orzo. If you haven’t used orzo before, it is like rice shaped pasta. I love orzo in this pasta salad. It really absorbs the dressing and mixes well with the veggies and feta. Cook the orzo according to the box directions, then drain and set aside to cool.

For years I have been making Ina Garten’s Roasted Vegetable Orzo as a side for many dishes throughout the summer. I have always followed her instructions to a T, but today I decided to try and mix it up a bit. Keep the same general idea, but put a grilling twist on it. I started with the same veggies – eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, and red onion. Instead of cubing them to roast, I sliced them to put on the grill.

Next I made the dressing, and this I kept to Ina’s recipe. On another note, I am working hard to get my kids to try more food, be more adventurous. I want to foster good eating habits, ones where they are willing to try new foods and enjoy eating more than just chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. And what is the best way to get your kids to try new foods? Get them involved in the kitchen! Of course they can’t help with everything, but find just one part of a recipe they can help with and bring them in. For the dressing, I brought my kids in to pour the ingredients into the measuring cup (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper) and stir it all up – they love to stir. Once the dressing is mixed, pour 1/4 of it on the cooling pasta, and stir it together to absorb.

Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Sprat the grates with cooking spray and put the veggies and salmon kebabs on the grill. Close the lid and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Then flip them all, close the lid and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. The vegetables should have good grill marks, the salmon should be cooked through and the edges of the lemon should have some char.

Remove the kebabs and veggies from the grill. Dice the veggies and add to the pasta. Then add the remaining dressing and mix together. Lastly, add the feta, scallions and pine nuts (optional) and stir.

Serve the salmon kebab with the pasta salad, pour a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, grab a seat at your patio table and savor the warm spring evening. Enjoy!