Spiced Salmon Kebabs

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."
- L.M. Montgomery

Although well past high school and bright college days, still have that feeling in June that I'm playing hooky, and am compelled to commemorate the begining of September with "school shopping." 

I was 11 years old when Alice Cooper's "Schools Out" was released. My older teenage brother played it loudly and incessently. [Ed. note: Is there any other way?] He also had an enormous Alice poster above his bed, the infamous one with Vince Furnier wrapped in a boa. Later. he would con my Momala into allowing him to go to a concert by taking my then eight-year-old sister, basically convincing her that Cooper was a folk singer. [Ed. note: GENIUS.] Never fails, June comes around and I can't get the "School's Out" lyrics out of my head.

My BF and I live across the street from a 4th-8th grade school, in the house he grew up in. [Ed. note: La Entrada, class of '83, represent.] Many of the neighborhood kids are graduating and will be in high school come September. Bittersweet, for me. Time is going by at warp speed and summer will be over before we know it.

These salmon kebabs, I make them every summer. It's beyond me that I never thought about threading meat or fish with two skewers instead of one (see picture). A game changer. The kebabs will not flip and spin every time you turn them. Bonus, most of you will probably already have all the necessary spices in your pantry.

We try to eat salmon as often as possible, and these kebabs are exceptionally flavorful and easy to make. Clients love them, and they're fast to prepare from start to finish (great for weeknight dinners). If you use your oven broiler,  like me, we're talking five minutes.

Adapted from: Bon Appetit, June 2013
Number of servings; 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (dried oregano was used here)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 ½ pounds skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour (or metal skewers, which were used here)

Directions

1. Prepare grill for medium heat or use oven broiler, as was done here.
2. Mix oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside.
3. Beginning and ending with salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make eight kebabs total.
4. Brush with oil and season with reserved spice mixture. (If broiling, place skewers on foiled lined baking sheet).
5. Grill, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, about 5–8 minutes. If broiling, place salmon under broiler, as close to element as possible. Broil about 5 minutes on one side. No need to turn.

Well, we got no class
And we got no principals
We ain't got no intelligence
We can't even think of a word that rhymes
~ Alice Cooper