Grilled Tuna Kebabs

Get your grill on with tuna kabobs! skewers of marinated fresh tuna, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms.

Grilled Tuna Kebabs
Elise Bauer

In case you haven't heard, we've been having some awfully weird weather here in Northern California. It's been windy, rainy, and (gulp) cold for weeks.

I've been walking around in denial, refusing to wear long pants—shorts only please—or socks, even though it's in the 40s at night.

The denial extends to my grill. I don't care if it's raining dagnabbit! I have a grill and I'm going to use it, even if I have to bundle up under my rain parka to do it.

For your enjoyment today are grilled tuna kebabs (prepared under said rain parka) with assorted vegetables, which marinated for several hours in a rosemary garlic olive oil marinade.

We had originally intended to use swordfish, but fresh tuna steaks were on sale at the market and we couldn't resist. You could use any meaty fish for these kabobs. Bon appétit!

Grilled Tuna Kebabs

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Marinating 60 mins
Total Time 95 mins
Servings 4 servings

You can use either double skewers or single skewers. Single skewers are easier to load, but the food rotates around them making them more difficult to turn. Double skewers are a little trickier to load, but the food stays on them better.

If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for an hour or more before cooking to help prevent them from catching fire on a hot grill.

Don't add vinegar or lemon to the marinade or you'll "cook" the fish!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds tuna, swordfish or sturgeon steaks

  • 1 red bell pepper

  • 1 green bell pepper

  • 1 small onion (sweet if available)

  • 6 to 10 large button mushrooms

  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Marinade Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons onion, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 cloves garlic

Method

  1. Cut into bite-sized pieces:

    Cut all the fish and veggies into similar-sized pieces; this helps everything lay flat when it is on the grill.

  2. Marinate the fish and vegetables:

    To make the marinade, purée the onion, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil while puréeing, continue to purée until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.

    Coat the fish and veggies in the marinade. Set in the fridge for at least an hour and up to overnight.

  3. Thread onto skewers:

    When skewering the fish and vegetables, pierce the fish against the grain, and select pieces of veggies that are close to the same size as your fish. This is important, because if the pieces are different widths, some things will be charred and others undercooked.

    You also want to be careful when loading up the skewers; it's easy to stab yourself by accident!

    grilled-tuna-kebabs-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    grilled-tuna-kebabs-method-2
    Elise Bauer

    Alternate pieces of fish with pieces of various veggies, leaving a little space between everything. Don’t crowd the skewer, or the parts that are touching will cook too slowly.

    Note that by threading the skewers with assorted veggies and fish, some things will be cooked more or less than others, as some things take longer to cook than others.

    If you want all of your items to be cooked perfectly, use a separate skewer for the onions, one for the tuna, one for the bell peppers, etc. Put the onions and bell peppers down first because they take longer to cook.

  4. Grill on high, direct heat:

    Prepare the grill for high, direct heat. Clean the grates and wipe them down with a paper towel that has been dipped in vegetable oil. Lay the skewers on the grill.

    Don't move them until the fish pieces are well browned on one side, about 3-6 minutes.

    grilled-tuna-kebabs-method-3
    Elise Bauer

    Then using tongs, carefully turn the skewers over and cook them until they are seared on the other side.

    Serve hot or at room temperature. Drizzle with lemon juice or serve with lemon wedges.

grilled-tuna-kebabs-vertical-a-1400
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
376 Calories
8g Fat
36g Carbs
45g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 376
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 66mg 22%
Sodium 613mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 36g 13%
Dietary Fiber 8g 29%
Total Sugars 16g
Protein 45g
Vitamin C 197mg 987%
Calcium 84mg 6%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 1395mg 30%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.