Otherwise known as, my new favorite meal.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

Of course! It wouldn’t be a new week if I didn’t have a new favorite. And in this case? Four words.

Blackened. Salmon. Caprese. Skewers.

I’m in loooooove.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

Since it’s almost June, I deem it completely appropriate to serve everyone you know (err, or yourself) all forms of caprese salad. Caprese is solely responsible for my liking of tomatoes.

And actually! Growing up, my mom would serve fresh homegrown tomatoes drizzled with balsamic dressing and crumbled blue cheese, which miiiight be even better. Just try it! I was half tempted to use that combination here, but wasn’t sure how we’d all feel about large chunks of blue cheese on our skewers.

Okay. How YOU would feel. I would always feel good about large chunks of blue cheese, but cheese rules my life.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

My grocery store has these really thick salmon steaks in the seafood case occasionally, hence the fat squares. The steaks are great on the grill (my dad used to make them all the time!) but a lot of times they only have them around Lent. I’m guessing you could also totally ask someone behind the seafood counter to chop salmon into cubes for you. I’d do it.

Or! Just grab your salmon and slice it as usual. Who cares if they look like squares? I am by no means a perfectionist here.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

Now here’s the thing. I actually cooked the salmon BEFORE skewering it. I skewered it after! Is that against the rules of skewering? Is it beside the point? Possibly, but hear me out.

I really wanted to make sure we got the fresh mozzarella here. And cherry tomatoes. I didn’t want the cheese melty or the tomatoes bursting – and I really didn’t want to torch my fresh basil! – because that would defeat the purpose of easily serving these.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

You know the little caprese skewers that you see all over pinterest in the summer? I feel like they were the first recipe that ever blew up on pinterest years ago, because I remember going to parties where my friends (who didn’t even know food blogs existed) served those caprese skewers. Basically, I took that idea and added blackened salmon for a little more oomph.

OOPMH.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

I broiled my salmon cubes, just for like, 1 to 2 minutes per side. And they were RIGHT under the flame. You’ve got to watch if you’re broiling them. But also! You could grill them for sure. Since we’re doing cubes, I would use a grill pan so you get that smokey flavor without overcooking and losing the fish.

You can serve these immediately after skewering. OR! Or or or.

You can serve them chilled. I don’t mind chilled salmon, probably because I love cold smoked salmon. So once these cool down from roasting and you make your skewers, you can toss them in the fridge for a few minutes until you’re ready to serve. I wouldn’t make them WAY ahead of time, but a bit ahead? Go for it. Then drizzle with balsamic glaze and make all the friends!

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

We have been enjoying these SO much for dinner. Max likes fish and salmon (I mean, it’s so flakey! Like butter!) so it’s a fun meal to throw together. And if you’re really not into getting fancy, skip the skewers. Broil your salmon and throw some chopped tomatoes, basil and mozzarella right on top. Like a salad over your salmon!

I love where this is going.

blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

Blackened Salmon Caprese Skewers

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Ingredients

for skewers

  • 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes
  • 6 balls fresh mozzarella cut into pieces (I used bocconcini!)
  • 15 fresh basil leaves
  • balsamic glaze for drizzling

Instructions 

  • Preheat the broiler in your oven to high. If you don’t want to broil these, you can cook them on the stovetop over medium-high heat or use a grill pan for a few minutes until cooked!
  • Place the salmon pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the grapeseed oil. In a bowl, stir together the paprika, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder and pepper flakes. Sprinkle it generously over the salmon pieces, covering all sides. Broil the salmon on the highest oven rack, directly until the flame,  for 1 to 2 minutes, then toss the pieces and broil one more time.
  • Once the salmon is cooked, gently skewers it on bamboo or stainless skewers – there is no real method! Just alternate pieces of salmon with 2 tomatoes, a chunk of mozzarella and few basil leaves. Once everything is skewered, drizzle it with balsamic glaze. Serve!

Notes

If desired, you can stick these in the fridge in a baking dish before drizzling with the glaze. They will be fine for 30-60 minutes. Drizzle with the glaze and then serve!
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blackened salmon caprese skewers I howsweeteats.com

Reeeeeally good with some cold pinot grigio too!