When you love fish like I do and you want to make something more than just a regular grilled fish, tandoori skewers is the dish that will be sure to satisfy your palette.
Tandoori, One of My Favorite Indian Dishes
As a curry lover, and lover of spices, Tandoori is one of my favorite Indian dishes. Tandoori gets its name from the traditional Indian clay oven Tandoor that’s used to roast meats, fish and to bake Indian flatbread. Unfortunately I don’t have a Tandoor in my home, but you can still make perfectly cooked swordfish tandoori using the outside grill or an oven.
Prepping and cooking this dish is super easy and most of all, marinating thick, meaty pieces of fish in yogurt, spices and aromatics give you the most tender, moist fish packed with tasty, addictive flavors!
Fish to Use for Tandoori
Swordfish is a perfect fish for tandoori skewers for its lean, meaty white flesh and mild taste. You can also use halibut, another lean meaty fish if swordfish is not available. I found fresh, beautiful swordfish steaks at a local seafood market and cut them into approximately 1.5 inch pieces. I would avoid using fatty, white fish like cod, haddock or grouper; there’re too fatty to work well with thick tandoori marinade. They’re also not as meaty and may come apart during marinating and cooking process.
Tandoori Marinade
This is another recipe featuring Greek yogurt and I’ve posted a few already, but for me Greek yogurt is a vital ingredient in lot of dishes I make. Check out my other recipes with Greek Yogurt:
- French Celery Root Salad
- Japanese Potato Salad
- Blueberry Orange Bundt Cake
- Poached Salmon Salad
- Crab Cakes
- Pluot Yogurt Cake
- Whole Wheat Orange Muffins
I tend to choose Greek yogurt over the regular kind for the thickness and low moisture content and that makes a fantastic base for marinades. Yogurt is also an amazing tenderizer which is why it’s an essential ingredient for Tandoori. In addition to Greek yogurt, you need :
- Freshly grated ginger – Not only does ginger adds flavor and fragrance, like yogurt it’s a great tenderizer
- Grated garlic
- Cumin seeds
- Curry powder – I don’t skimp on curry powder. I make sure I taste the curry spice and I also use curry spice mixture that’s spicy.
- Honey
Put fish pieces in a bowl or sealable plastic bag, pour the tandoori marinade and make sure every piece of fish is coated in this tasty marinade. Marinating time should be 1-2 hours max, yogurt and ginger are tenderizers so the fish may become too tender and disintegrate if it’s marinated longer than that.
Use Large Bamboo Skewers and Cook Your Fish on a Grill or an Oven
I used 11.5 inch bamboo skewers to thread six pieces of swordfish per skewer; no dainty fish skewers here! When threading is done, to add even more flavor to this dish (yes it’s possible!) cover them with chopped cilantros.
Living in California I use my outside grill for most of the year, so call me crazy but I’m not too fond of putting meat or fish directly on my grill, especially if its covered in sauce or marinade. Grill becomes too messy for me. Instead, I prefer to cook them by placing a large sheet of aluminum foil on the grill. Cleaning up is super easy, all you have to do is roll up the used aluminum foil and toss it!
If you can’t use the outside grill, put your fish on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and bake the fish in the oven. Whether you cook it on the grill or in the oven, the end result is tender, perfectly cooked fish with spices and cilantro still intact!
Side Dish Options and Tableware for Tandoori Feast
There are so many delicious side dishes that can be enjoyed here. I cooked up some whole wheat couscous (my personal favorite) mixed with sautéed bell peppers. Here are some other options:
- Basmati Rice
- Jasmine Rice
- Grilled Vegetables
- Salad
- Naan
Tableware featured here is my vintage Blue Danube pieces. The blue and white porcelain look so pretty against the yellow from the curry spice and splashes of green from the cilantro leaves. There was a time I thought of letting them go in order to make room in my cupboard, but I’m so glad I chose to keep this vintage beauty. Blue Danube has been discontinued by the manufacturer, but you can still get these pieces from Replacements.com.
Swordfish Tandoori Skewers
Equipment
- 11½" Bamboo skewers
Ingredients
- 3 lbs thick swordfish steaks cut into 1½ inch pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped + additional leaves for garnish
For the Marinade
- 1½ cup greek yogurt (2% milk fat or full fat yogurt)
- 4-5 cloves freshly grated garlic
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp honey
Instructions
- Place swordfish pieces flat on a plate and sprinkle with salt. Leave for 15 minutes and blot excess moisture off of fish with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, combine greek yogurt, cumin seeds, grated garlic, ginger, honey and curry powder and mix well.
- Transfer fish to a bowl or a large sealable plastic bag and add the tandoori marinade, making sure to completely coat the fish with the marinade. Refrigerate and marinate the fish for 1-2 hours. In the meantime, soak bamboo skewers in water for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat outside grill to medium high heat or oven to 400°. For the grill, place a large piece of aluminum foil on top to place fish skewers.
- Thread 6 pieces of swordfish per skewer and place skewers flat on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover the skewers with chopped cilantros and roast or bake the fish for 12-15 minutes, turning the skewers occasionally.
- Once done, let the fish rest for few minutes and add fresh cilantro leaves for garnish before serving.
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