Chorizo Prawn Skewers

SKEWER AFFAIR

For those if you who grill regularly and those who are just starting off skewers are life!  The ability to skewer meat and veg together, brush with some oil and put them on the grill is key.  All you need is the occasional turn and dinner is done.  There isn’t multiple items to keep a close eye on and there isn’t 100’s of pans to clean afterwards.  It’s a wonder why I don't cook everything this way!!  Come to think of it do I even need a plate?  Suddenly my kitchen may just become a little less cluttered 😉

METAL V BAMBOO SKEWERS

I tend to use both at home but typically for different applications.  In fact I think I’ve got 4 different types of skewers.

Metal skewers are great for doing larger & heavier cuts of meat.  The flat skewers typically means that the meat won’t roll around when turning it.  The fact they are reusable is clearly a strong selling point too.  Check out my lamb & pudding recipe here for an example of large flat metal skewers.

Wooden skewers are cheaper to buy but obviously over a long period of time you will ultimately spend more money than reusable metal ones. They look great for photography & presentation purposes but the big downside is you need to soak them for at least 30 mins prior in water or else they will burn and it won’t be a skewered dinner anymore!!

My advice is get a couple different sized metal ones that can be used for different applications!  For these chorizo prawn skewers it was important to get something sturdy but also not to thick.  Didn't want to mangle those delicious Aussie prawns.

COOKING WITH SKEWERS

It’s important when cooking food on a skewer is to cut items to similar size.  No point chucking a whole breast of chicken beside a few button mushrooms.  Do I need to explain why?  Guess I should, you never know!!  It’s about the size of the food and the length of time it takes to cook.  It’s important to cut all pieces of meat the same so they cook evenly and also to use things that will cook in similar time frames.  No point having a beautiful piece of beef alongside a rock hard raw carrot is there?

Marinate

It’s often a good idea to marinate meat before hand. 30 mins is often long enough but overnight can be killer (that’s a good thing) with some marinades.

Skewering

Remember what type of skewer you are using and the maximum weight it can carry.  Also consider the placement of the items.  Equal dispersement is key.  Sometimes it’s a good idea to just do meat skewers and veg separately if you are worried about cook times but I like to add them together a lot of the time to mix the flavors in.  Just remember you want everyone to be touching but it ain’t a Japanese bullet train - everyone needs a little room to move.  This will help with even cooking times.

Oil

Remember to add oil.  Nope, don’t just lob oil onto your bbq and certainly don’t use a piece of kitchen towel.  That is unless you are a bit of a pyro!  Use an old rag or a bbq brush to oil your grill.  Sticking is the WORST nightmare of skewers as the food not only looks crappy but you end up leaving half of it behind.

Eating

Well that part most people find pretty easy - unless your my toddler!  I like to use tortillas, naan or pita to eat a lot of my skewered meats. Add some pickled veg, some fresh herbs and a good sauce and well you’ve made yourself some kick ass homemade street food.  This recipe is a little different with the sizes of the items being grilled so a good salad or sautéed veg, squeeze of lime and I’m ready to tuck in.

If you are worried about the meat being cooked my advice is to make sure you finish the skewer with a piece of meat so you can quickly slide it off and check before serving to guests.  Better to be safe than sorry!

EXPERIMENT

Food is all about experimenting so if you like these chorizo prawn skewers then get cracking on trying some of your own out.  Pretty much all meat will work on a skewer and boy does veg taste good to on the grill.  Think things like Hawaiian flavours with a little old skool chicken, onions, peppers & pineapple or maybe go asian with some soy, ginger and sesame marinated.   Satay is another fav of mine!  If you wanna try that out check out my DELICIOUS satay recipe!

Check me out on instagram or subscribe for more recipes like this.