Grilled Salmon Kebabs

This week we’re back off of Sugar-Top Mountain and back onto…I dunno…”Good For You Lane”. Hokey enough for you? Good, let’s continue.

It’s Kebab-Tastic!

Since I’ve been discussing good post-run foods recently, salmon is a food that immediately comes to mind. I love salmon and if I could put up with its cost, would probably eat it a lot more often. But since it does tend to be a little pricier, I have to put it to good use when I can afford it!

It’s summer here in Georgia (actually it’s Spring, but Spring is basically Summer), so it’s time to fire up the grill! There’s free-to-use grills around my apartment complex, and even though I’m really bad at getting charcoal lit, it turns out it’s tough to screw up those single-use bags where you just light the whole damn thing on fire. Go team go!

Disco Inferno!

Salmon is apparently packed full of protein as well as omega-3 fats (which are the good kind of fat, not the kind you get from a terrible-yet-delicious Royale with Cheese). According to Runner’s World, “These essential fats help balance the body’s inflammation response, a bodily function that when disturbed appears to be linked to many diseases including asthma.” Basically, salmon has the goods to help your body recover after a run. Which is awesome, because it is also DELICIOUS.

So when my beloved Bon Appétit magazine emailed me a recipe for “Spiced Salmon Kebabs”, I immediately bookmarked it and went out that afternoon to buy some salmon. I was looking forward to dusting off the proverbial grill and tossing some fish onto it. ALL THE NOMS.

Jacked up and good to go!

My family used to make kebabs all the time growing up, though most of the time it was with steak or chicken. This recipe remains as simple as it was when I was a kid: drizzle your kebabs with olive oil, sprinkle with a handful of spices, and grill! It also includes folded up slices of lemon between the chunks of salmon, which actually added a recognizable flavor. I’m not sure why I found that surprising, but it added a delightful zing to the crispy fish.

In addition to the standard kebabs (seen above!), I skewered some mushrooms, red bell pepper, and brussels sprouts (I’ve been big into brussels sprouts recently. They are so choice).

Bowl’o'Kebabs

Everything turned out wonderfully, both the fish and the vegetables. I feel like I could’ve been significantly more liberal with the spices; admittedly I made a 1/2 pound less salmon than the recipe called for, but even so I feel like the spices were relatively abundant. Regardless the salmon was crisp and a little smokey, with a tang of lemon and delicious flavors of oregano and red pepper accompanying it. If you have time in an afternoon, definitely try this recipe out.

As far as how good this is for a post-run meal, it clearly contains the the vitamins you need. Unfortunately, grilling after even a short run is not particularly appealing. This is definitely the type of thing you’d want to make before-hand (either that day or the day before) and then pop it onto a salad after your run with, say, some avocado. Oh man, that sounds amazing.

Enjoy!

And veggies!