Get ready for a different take on surf and turf: beef and salmon skewers! I’m always looking for new ways to make skewers, and this one is fun, easy and freakin’ delicious.
Changsha street-style skewers, also known as shaokao, served as the inspiration for this steak and salmon recipe. You can find them at night markets in Changsha — the capital city of Hunan, China — and they’re world famous thanks to the spicy, bold and smoky flavors. That flavor bomb status makes these beef and salmon skewers the perfect shareable, high-impact appetizer for a cookout or party.
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Why You’ll Love Beef and Salmon Skewers
Hunan cuisine uses a lot of fresh garlic, scallions, local chiles and cumin. So, we’ve got no shortage of those simple ingredients in these beef and salmon skewers! We’re rolling thin slices of beef around the salmon and chives or scallions, then slicing them into pinwheels before grilling. You’ll want to use a well-marbled cut like chuck eye, strip or short rib, since leaner cuts tear when rolled. You can also freeze the beef briefly to make thin slicing easier.
To get that charred, glossy crust we all love while preventing the fresh salmon from drying out, we’ll baste the skewers with garlic butter throughout the grilling process. The butter baste brings in those hallmark Hunan flavors with minced garlic, cumin powder and chili flakes. Depending on where you’re cooking, I get that it can be tough to find local Hunan chiles. The red pepper flakes are a little different, but they work just fine as a substitute! And then sesame seeds, cilantro and fresh lemon juice or lime juice round out this 10/10 skewer. If you’re not a huge fan of kabobs, you will be now.
Looking for more beef skewers? Check out my recipes for Beef Kebabs, Pizza Steak Skewers, Flake Steak Skewers and Steak Onion Skewers.
Beef and Salmon Skewers Ingredients
- Skewers: For the surf and turf, grab some flank steak or ribeye steak, sliced very thin into wide sheets (shabu-shabu style), and a salmon fillet that we’ll cut into long, thick strips. You’ll also need a bunch of chives or scallions and wooden skewers.
- Butter Baste: Our butter baste uses unsalted butter, soy sauce, minced garlic, ground cumin, chili flakes, honey and salt to taste.
- Garnish: To finish the beef and salmon skewers, make sure you have toasted sesame seeds, fresh cilantro, extra ground cumin and chili flakes and juice from fresh lemons or limes.
Shabu-Shabu 101
Shabu-shabu beef slices are paper thin, since they’re designed to cook quickly in hot broth (think Japanese hot pot). You can buy slices of shabu-shabu beef at your local supermarket or Asian specialty market, but you can also tackle this task at home with a very sharp knife. The key is to freeze your well-marbled beef until it’s firm, then cut against the grain so the meat stays tender. If you have a mechanical meat slicer, you can use that too. But also, props to you if you have a mechanical meat slicer?! I’d love to know what you’re cooking in your backyard…
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How to Make Beef and Salmon Skewers
First, let’s form the skewers. Lay the thin beef sheets from 1.5 pounds of flank steak or ribeye steak out flat on a cutting board, slightly overlapping the edges to form one continuous flat layer. Make two beef layers for two separate skewers.
Next, lay a 1/4 inch-thick piece of salmon — cut from an 8-ounce fillet — along one edge of the beef. Then, lay the scallions along the other beef layer.
Now, we’ll form the beef and salmon skewers. Tightly roll the beef around the salmon pieces and scallions into a log. Then, slice the log crosswise into 1 inch-thick pinwheels.
Thread 2-3 pinwheels onto each skewer, pressing gently so they hold the steak and salmon kebabs hold their shape.
Meanwhile, let’s make the butter baste. In a small bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon honey, and salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside until you’re ready to grill.
To cook the beef and salmon skewers, preheat your grill to high heat (about 400 degrees F) for direct cooking. Place the skewers on the grill grates and grill for 2-3 minutes per side, brushing generously with the butter baste every time you flip, until the beef is charred at the edges and the salmon and scallions are just cooked through. Remove the skewers from heat and brush with one final coat of the butter baste while they’re still hot.
Finish with toasted sesame seeds, a light dusting of cumin and red pepper flakes, and chopped cilantro. Serve hot with lime wedges or lemon wedges. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Beef and Salmon Skewers
These beef and salmon skewers are great to round out a tailgate or appetizer spread. Or, if you want to make a full meal with them, you can serve them with jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, baked sweet potatoes, or soba noodles or lo mein noodles as your starch. I bet a grilled veggie like asparagus or red bell peppers, some steamed broccoli, sauteed bok choy or Napa cabbage, or a light cucumber salad with red onion and rice vinegar would be freakin’ delicious too!
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover salmon and beef, store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. Salmon doesn’t keep as long as steak, so I’m defaulting to the least common denominator here!
To reheat, since the salmon is more delicate, you want to go low and slow. Wrap the skewers loosely in aluminum foil with a small pat of butter or splash of water to create steam, then warm on a grill or in an oven at around 275-300°F for 8-10 minutes. You can also reheat quickly in a medium-high heat skillet on the grill or stove top with a little butter for about a minute per side to revive some of that char. I wouldn’t use the microwave, since it will overcook the salmon and toughen up that tender beef.
More Surf and Turf
FAQs
Typically I say metal skewers, but I’m using wooden skewers in this beef and salmon skewers recipe. The smaller size of the wooden skewers works better with the pinwheel setup here.
Roll that beef tightly around the salmon and scallions before you slice! And be sure to press the pinwheels firmly onto the skewer. You could also chill the assembled skewers on a baking sheet in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before you grill, since that’ll help them hold their shape over the heat.
For sure! You could assemble the pinwheels and thread them onto skewers up to a day in advance. Keep them covered in the fridge until you’re ready to grill. That’ll also make them easier to handle.
Beef and Salmon Skewers
Ingredients
Skewers:
- 1.5 lbs Beef flank or ribeye, sliced very thin into wide sheets (shabu-shabu)
- 8 oz Salmon Filet skin removed, cut into long ¼” thick strips
- 1 bunch Chives or Scallions
- Wooden Skewers
Butter Baste:
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- ½ tsp Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Honey
- Salt to taste
Garnish:
- 1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Extra Cumin Powder and Chili Flakes for dusting
- Fresh Cilantro chopped
- Lime or Lemon Wedges
Instructions
- Lay the thin beef sheets out flat on a cutting board, slightly overlapping the edges to form one continuous flat layer. Make two beef layers for two separate skewers
- Lay a salmon strip along one edge of the beef. Lay scallions along the other beef layer.
- Tightly roll the beef around the salmon and chives into a log tightly.
- Slice the log crosswise into 1” thick pinwheels.
- Thread 2-3 pinwheels onto each skewer, pressing gently so they hold their shape.
- Mix together the melted butter, soy sauce, garlic, cumin, chili flakes, honey, salt, and pepper for the baste.
- Preheat a grill to high heat (about 400F) for direct cooking.
- Grill the skewers for 2-3 minutes per side, brushing generously with the butter baste every time you flip, until the beef is charred at the edges and the salmon & scallions are just cooked through.
- Remove from heat and brush with one final coat of the butter baste while hot.
- Finish with toasted sesame seeds, a light dusting of cumin and chili flakes, and chopped cilantro. Serve hot with lime wedges. Enjoy!
