Beef and Salmon Skewers
These beef and salmon skewers were inspired by Changsha street-style skewers for a shareable, high-impact appetizer at your cookout or party.
Servings: 4 people
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!
Notes
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...