Shellfish & Vegetable Skewers
Cooking the shellfish on one set of skewers and the vegetables on another ensures perfect doneness for both. Grilling over an open fire accentuates the sweetness of the shellfish and vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 jumbo scallops
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch squares
- 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch squares
- 1 lb. cherry tomatoes, stemmed
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Canola oil for brushing
Directions
If using wooden skewers, soak 12 skewers in water to cover.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, a pinch of pepper and the olive oil. Set the flavored oil aside.
Thread a shrimp onto a skewer so that it forms a C-shape. Thread a scallop horizontally onto the skewer. Repeat to add 1 more shrimp and 1 more scallop onto the skewer. Assemble 5 additional skewers in the same manner. Lay the skewers in a shallow dish and drizzle with about 2 Tbs. of the flavored oil. Squeeze the lemon half over all and turn to coat evenly.
Thread alternating pieces of the zucchini, bell peppers, onion and cherry tomatoes onto the remaining 6 skewers. Lay the skewers in a separate shallow dish, sprinkle with the salt and a pinch of pepper, and brush with about half of the remaining flavored oil.
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Lightly brush the grill rack with canola oil.
Lay the skewers across the hottest part of the fire. Cook, turning once, until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the scallops show dark brown grill marks (it’s fine if the scallops are slightly translucent in the centers), about 3 minutes per side. Cook the vegetables until the zucchini is tender and nicely marked with medium-brown grill marks, about 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the skewers to a platter, brush the vegetables with the remaining flavored oil and serve immediately. Serves 3 or 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Fish for Dinner (Weldon Owen, 2009).