Leslie Dabney is known as The Vinyard Mom, and has a published cookbook, Take Me to the Vineyard.
Leslie lives in Northern California wine country, and helps foodies pair their meal with delicious wines.
She joined us from her backyard with recipes for a "Summer of Skewers".
Ingredients:
2 lbs. or 2 1lb. Salmon steaks
2 lbs. Raw shrimp (jumbo or extra large)
3 large bell peppers. I use red, orange and yellow
1 large red onion
1 yellow onion
1/4 - 1/2 cup Ponzu sauce
2 tsp. each Salt and Pepper
Salmon Skewers:
Cut raw salmon into small 1x1 inch cubes.
Slice peppers the same length as the salmon and about 1/2 inch width.
Slice onions into thin strips the same length as salmon and peppers and about 1/2 in width.
Shrimp Skewers:
Jumbo Shrimp 21-25 count or extra large 26-30 count shrimp. Peel and devein.
Slice peppers and onions into 2-3 inches long and 1/4 inch width .
Sausage Skewers:
16 oz. (5 links) Italian sausage links. Cut into 1 inch thick slices
Slice green bell peppers and yellow onion into 2-3 inches long and 1/4 inch width.
Note: Plan 2 skewers for big eaters and one for smaller eaters.
Using either a wood or metal skewer, start with a piece of bell pepper to anchor the end. Add a salmon piece, raw shrimp or sausage piece and then add a slice each of red, yellow, orange or green pepper and an onion slices. Alternate different colors of bell pepper and repeat. Make sure the skewer has 4-5 pieces of salmon, shrimp or sausage on them and is finished with a piece of bell pepper.
Drizzle the Ponzu sauce, salt and pepper over both sides of the skewers. You can make the skewers up to this point and refrigerate them up to an hour before you are ready to cook them.
At minimum, let them marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cooking.
Heat grill or grill pan to medium high heat. If you are using a grill pan, spay it with non-stick spray first.
Cook for 5-7 minutes per side for the salmon skewers and 4-5 minutes for the shrimp skewers and 5-7 minutes per side for sausage skewers. Take skewers off the grill and transfer to a plate and immediately cover with foil. Let the skewers rest for 5 minutes. The steam will finish softening the veggies. If you are using a grill pan, turn off heat and cover for 5 minutes.
Herb Butter
1/2 cup softened butter
1 tsp. fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh dill finely chopped
1 garlic clove grated
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
Add parsley through pepper to the butter in a mixing bowl. Use a fork and blend the ingredients together. Stir for 2-3 minutes to make sure everything is well incorporated. Spoon herb butter in a log shape onto the middle of a piece of clear wrap. Roll wrap around the butter and refrigerate until you are ready to use. Slice herb butter on top of seafood or vegetables.
For more recipes you can follow Leslie on Instagram and TikTok.
