Easy, Flavor-packed grilled salmon kabobs, covered in a Mediterranean-style marinade with fresh garlic, olive oil, citrus, herbs and spices. I’m telling you, once you try this salmon marinade, you’ll be grilling salmon all summer long! But the good news is, you can make these anytime of the year, using an indoor grill pan or even broiled in the oven (instructions included).
These salmon kabobs are ready in less than 30 minutes, including marinating. And you can turn them into a Mediterranean feast alongside some bright salads, Mediterranean-Style Roasted Eggplant, Greek potatoes, or grilled vegetables…oh, grab my list for suggested sides and salads below!
I’m such a big fan of any food on a stick, this probably won’t surprise you if you’ve already checked out my Greek Souvlaki or chicken kabobs recently. Today, we’re talking salmon kabobs…tender, perfectly flaky, flavor-packed salmon kabobs! And it’s all in the marinade, my friends.
People are keen on marinating their grilled chicken and meat kabobs, but they so often neglect marinating fish. Why should one marinate their salmon kabobs? Why not just toss them in some spices and call it good?
Salmon Marinade
The marinade here plays two important roles: First, the obvious one, it packs our salmon with flavor. But equally important, the marinade acts as a brine to help the salmon from drying out (and no one loves dry salmon!)
This salmon marinade begins with quality extra virgin olive oil (trust me, you do want good-tasting olive oil, I used Early Harvest Greek EVOO here) along with zest and juice of one lemon. Fresh minced garlic is my go-to for anything fish and seafood. From here, we have fresh thyme, dried oregano, and a trio of warmer spices–cumin, coriander, and a mild chili pepper called Aleppo. If you’re not familiar, Aleppo pepper is a unique spice of fruity, slightly tangy chili flakes. It’s a mild pepper with a subtle sweetness akin to sun-dried tomatoes! (Find Aleppo and other all-natural spices at our online store).
Change up the marinade to your liking. Don’t have thyme? You can use a little fresh parsley. If you like a spicy kick, add a pinch of cayenne. But do make sure to use quality olive oil and citrus.
How to Make these Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs
These salmon kabobs are super simple to prepare. Once you have your skewers soaked in water and your quick marinade ready, the recipe is literally as easy as 1, 2, 3…
1. Toss salmon pieces, zucchini, and onions in the awesome Mediterranean salmon marinade (extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, herbs and spices). Leave for 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate for an hour or so until you are ready to grill.
2. Thread marinated salmon and veggies through prepared skewers (if you’re using wooden or bamboo skewers, you need to have soaked those in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour before use.)
3. Arrange salmon kabobs on medium-heated grill, cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once half way through. My husband, who is the grill master in our house, chooses to cover the grill here for even cooking (the salmon kabobs were perfectly opaque, flaky, and tender.)
Just one quick tip here, it helps to use tongs when turning the salmon skewers as opposed to use a spatula. I used only one wooden skewer per kabob, but you can use 2 skewers for a more sturdy kabob.
Can I cook salmon kabobs indoors?
The beauty about these salmon kabobs is that you can make them all year round. My preference is an outdoor grill, but that is not always possible. There are a couple ways to cook these salmon kabobs indoors
– Stove-top suing a griddle or grill pan. Simply brush the griddle or grill pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium. Arrange the salmon kabobs in one layer (do this in batches if needed and do not crowd the kabobs). Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on side, turn over once and cook for another 4 minutes or so. If you like, you can cover them for even cooking.
– Broiled in the oven. Turn broiler on high and place the top rack about 5 to 6 inches or so below the broiler. Arrange the salmon skewers on a baking sheet and broil for about 4 to 5 minutes on one side, turn over on the other side and broil for another 4 minutes or until opaque.
How Long will Grilled Salmon Keep in the Fridge?
In general, if the fish was fresh, in good condition and did not stink before you cooked it, you can store grilled salmon in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 days or so. Keep in mind that the garlicky flavors will deepen (I never mind that!) Best to eat leftover salmon cold or at room temperature. I’ve often thrown some cooked salmon in my grain bowls or over salad for a tasty light dinner!
What to Serve with Grilled Salmon Kabobs?
Whenever I serve kabobs of any sorts, I always like to add a little sauce or dip to go along. With this grilled salmon, I opted for tahini sauce, but I could easily go for Greek tztaziki. In addition, there are so many options for tasty Mediterranean dishes you can serve along. Here are just a few:
Fresh Salads: Three Bean Salad; Mediterranean Avocado Salad; Greek Salad; Mediterranean-style Salsa
Sides: Easy Baked Zucchini with Thyme and Parmesan; Roasted Tomatoes with Thyme and Feat; Mediterranean Mustard Potato Salad; Greek Lemon Rice; Potatoes with Whipped Feta
More Recipes To Try
Mediterranean Diet Salmon Recipes
Greek Shrimp with Tomato and Feta
Mediterranean Grilled Lamb Chops
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Mediterranean Salmon Kabobs
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 skewers 1x
Description
Best grilled salmon kabobs, prepared Mediterranean-style with a garlicy, zesty marinade, zucchini and onions! Serve these with your favorite Mediterranean salads and sides and a little Tahini sauce or Tzatziki (lots of ideas up in the post).
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Salmon fillet, cut into cubes approximately 1-inch to 1-1/2 inch or so in size
- 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
- 1 small red onion, cut into squares
- Kosher salt and pepper
For Marinade
- 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used Early Harvest Greek olive oil)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mild chili pepper (I used this Aleppo pepper )
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, thyme, cumin, Aleppo pepper and coriander.
- Place salmon pieces, zucchini and onions in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt and pepper, and toss briefly. Now pour the marinade over the salmon and toss again to make sure the salmon is well coated with the marinade. Let the fish marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes (see Cook’s Tip)
- Beginning with salmon, thread salmon, zucchini and onions through skewers (if using wooden skewers, be sure to have soaked them for 30 minutes before using.)
- Heat an outdoor grill (indoor grilling instructions in notes). Arrange salmon skewers on top and cover the grill. Grill salmon kabobs for 6 to 8 minute, covered, or until the fish is opaque throughout, turning once midway through cooking (using tongs is the best way to turn the salmon skewers)
Notes
- Cook’s Tip: The marinade packs the salmon with tons of flavor and also acts as a brine to help keep it from drying out. If you want to give the salmon a little more time in the marinade for even more flavor, cover and refrigerate for one hour or so before grilling.
- Indoor grilling instructions: brush a griddle or grill pan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium. Arrange the salmon kabobs in one layer (do this in batches if needed and do not crowd the kabobs). Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on side, turn over once and cook for another 4 minutes or so. If you like, you can cover them for even cooking.
- Broiling Instructions: Heat oven broiler. Arrange salmon skewers on a large baking sheet and place about 5 to 6 inches below broiler. Cook on one side for 4 to 5 minutes, turn over and cook another 4 minute or so or until fish is opaque throughout.
- Need to feed a larger crowd? The work here is in the marinade, if you need to feed a larger crowd, you can easily double the amount of salmon and marinade. You may need to add an extra minute or two for grilling, but always watch to make sure your salmon does not dry out. It is ready when it turns a nice opaque color and flakes easily with a fork.
- Recommended for this Recipe: Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil. And from our spice collection, cumin, Aleppo pepper and coriander.
- Leftovers? In general, if the salmon was fresh and in good condition before cooking, you should be able to store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 days or so. Best to eat cold or at room temperature.
- Visit our online store to browse our olive oils, spices and more!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This looks delicious . I want to make it for a large group. Can it be made ahead and served at room temperature?
Hi, Ronni. I suppose you could… there are instructions in the post for how to store/serve leftovers that you can follow in this instance. However, I really prefer these fresh off the grill, myself.
Question about prepping the salmon.
Do you keep the skin on the salmon Fillets or do you attempt to peel that off before the salmon is cooked? I couldn’t see any skin in your photos or mention of it but I don’t know how my salmon wouldn’t fall apart instantly without the skin on it.
Thanks!
Hi, Karen. I remove the skin for this recipe.
Unbelievable!! I grilled these kabobs tonight for dinner. The best salmon I have ever eaten.
Yay! Thanks, Shawn!
I make a lot of baked Salmon but I never made Kabobs. Let me just say ….. this recipe was bursting with flavor. The marinade really stuck to the Kabobs and had more flavor after cooking than I expected. My guests were like wow!!! What flavor !!.
I paired the salmon kabobs with the Greek Potatoes and let me just say ….. those potatoes pack some flavor as well. Both were easy to make and fantastic flavor.
Tony
Thanks so much, Tony!
Love this recipe! Made it for three chefs and they all raved! Definitely holding this one in my back pocket. I think the only thing I changed was to use pearl onions instead. I maybe added more of the herbs, but think I followed it mostly.
Awesome! Thanks, Pamela!
This recipe is EXCELLENT! I’ve made it twice – once for company – and everyone raved. Thank you! I look forward to trying more of recipes.
So so glad to hear it, Jill! Thank you
Those look delicious!
This recipe seems perfect! Love the marinade ingredients. We get a lot of fresh steelhead trout where we live, so subbing in for the salmon … at least for the summertime. Love your website!
Thank you, Kathryn!
I have made this a number of times…again tonight. It is absolutely delicious. Full of flavor. We pack it fully of veggies and salmon. Simple to make. Definitely company worthy! When we have leftovers, we refrigerate and warm in oven next day. Still delicious!
Awesome! Thank you, Susan!
This is a perfect combination of flavors! Mediterranean flavors with salmon – so good!
This is such a great way to serve salmon!
Everyone at my house loved it! Taste SO good!
I can’t believe these were the first salmon kabobs I’ve made! So yummy!
Yes! Glad you enjoy!
I’ve never thought of a salmon kabob! Thanks for sharing. It was delicious!
After travelling around the Mediterranean, I’ve really come to appreciate these flavors! Thanks for sharing!
That’s great to hear! Thank you!
What a super way to enjoy salmon! My family loved this recipe!!