Turkish-Spiced Halibut Skewers With Yogurt Sauce

By David Tanis

Published March 19, 2013

  • Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 30 minutes, plus 1 hour's marination
Rating
5(378)
Comments
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Turkish chefs make these beautiful skewers with local swordfish, usually dousing the fish in a garlicky lemony marinade before cooking. Bay leaves (they grow wild) are usually a presence, too. David Tanis took that inspiration and made the fish halibut, adding thinly sliced lemons and onions, along with pinches of aromatic cumin and coriander, and a heavy hand with the bay leaves. You would think this might be overkill, but in fact it only enhances the sweetness of the fish.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless halibut or other firm-fleshed fish

  • Salt and pepper

  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

  • ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely ground

  • ½ teaspoon paprika

  • Pinch red pepper flakes

  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 small lemon, thinly sliced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced, plus 1 garlic clove, grated or smashed to a paste

  • 8 bay leaves

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 1 cup plain yogurt

  • Pinch cayenne

  • 1 small cucumber, about 2 ounces, peeled and diced

  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint

  • 1 tablespoon chopped dill

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

9 grams carbs; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 466 calories; 21 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 729 milligrams sodium; 37 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut halibut into large chunks of equal size and thread onto skewers. You should have 4 kebabs weighing about 6 ounces each. Lay them in a shallow dish. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    In a mixing bowl, put cumin, coriander, paprika, red pepper flakes, onion, lemon, minced garlic and bay leaves. Add olive oil and stir together. Spoon mixture over fish skewers and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.

  3. Step 3

    Put yogurt in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then add garlic paste, cayenne and cucumber. Mix mint, dill and parsley together, add half to yogurt mixture, and reserve the rest. Stir to combine. Set aside.

  4. Step 4

    Heat a grill or broiler. When it is hot, cook skewers for about 2 minutes per side, until just opaque. (Leave some lemon, onion and bay leaf clinging to fish, so they char a bit.) Transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining herb mixture. Serve with yogurt sauce on the side.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
378 user ratings
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Comments

Mimi

Not into skewers, but the spices seemed intriguing so I marinaded a whole piece and broiled it with all the onions, lemons and bay leaves on top, then flipped to char the skin side. It was a thick piece and took aro 5 minutes per side in convection broiler.
Well, it was perfectly cooked medium rare and tasted spectacular.
Will definitely prepare again. BTW - I can imagine the grill adds additional flavor.

Barbara Gavin

Much easier to marinate before threading your fish.

sarahpatto

This was really tasty, great way to prepare halibut. I served it with the homemade pita bread and it was a hit.

Diana

I think this is today's Recipe winner for me to prepare! With fresh fish prices outrageous everywhere (and I am on the West Coast) I now need to look carefully and evaluate what to cook every day since I am on fixed income, so I spend a lot of time looking and deciding. But this is a very enjoyable way to pass the time and choose recipes. Thank you, NYT and David Tanis, you are my hero!

shoshana

Used regular cumin. Didn’t find the seeds

shoshana

Excellent. Did swordfish cut up prices. Added harissa and sumac and lots of bay leaf delishes. Served with saffron rice. Soak saffron threads in hot water for 30 minutes. Sauté basmati rice o ghee then added vegetable broth and saffron grilled veggies pita and Israeli salad. Great for company

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