Grilled Miso Fish Skewers with Shishito Peppers + Baby Bok Choy
Grilled Miso Fish Skewers with Shishito Peppers are smoky, succulent and vibrant! With contrasting textures and flavors, these seafood kebabs will definitely make dinner deliciously interesting!
Grill Up a Complete Meal with Miso Fish Skewers
With some thoughtful prep, you can prepare [most of] a well balanced, healthy dinner for family or guests…completely on the grill!
Miso marinated fish and vibrant yet mild shishito peppers are grilled to smoky perfection. The result is sweet + savory, umami packed flavor in every bite. Pair that with simply seasoned and grilled baby bok choy for a sweet and crunchy veg with crispy charred ends.
All you need to round out the party is a steaming bowl of rice (sorry, can’t tell you how to grill that 😉) and a drizzle of spicy miso finishing sauce. I mean, WOW!
Gather Your Ingredients
In addition to kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper, you’ll need…
- Wild caught fish fillets — sometimes my local grocery has fish loins on hand; these are evenly thick cut portions of larger fillets. The day of these photos, they had cod loins. Any firm white fish or salmon fillets will work beautifully.
- White miso paste — this is the mildest version of miso with a sweet, nutty flavor. Here’s a great guide on white miso (I’ve successfully used both Hikari and Muso brands in this recipe!)
- Shishito peppers — you’ve probably seen them on restaurant appetizer menus…these native Japanese peppers are thin-skinned and a vibrant green when immature. They are usually mild, but every once in awhile you’ll bite into a spicy one.
- Baby bok choy — these are simply young bok choy, roughly 4 to 6 inches long. They are more sweet and tender than their mature counterparts.
- Oils — a neutral oil, like avocado (great for high heat cooking) and dark sesame oil (with a wonderfully nutty flavor).
- Aromatics — shallots, fresh ginger + garlic.
- Lime juice — the sweet acidity of lime juice balances the salt. If you prefer, you can use rice vinegar (although, I feel the lime juice gives it more pop).
- Brown sugar — for a little sweetness and caramelization.
- Sriracha hot sauce — this is optional, but I like to whisk just a bit into the finishing sauce for a little heat.
- Optional garnishes — green onions, crispy fried shallots, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro
How To Make Grilled Miso Fish Skewers
Equipment Note: You’ll need 12-inch, wood or metal skewers. If you have flat wide skewers, it will help prevent the fish from spinning freely on the skewer. Or, you can double-up and use two skewers per kebab. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes first.
- Make the marinade — sauté the aromatics in neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the miso, brown sugar, lime juice and water. Cook for a couple more minutes until the brown sugar dissolves and the marinade has no lumps. Cool completely.
- Marinate the fish — toss half the cooled marinade with the cubed fish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the finishing sauce — whisk sesame oil and sriracha into the remaining marinade in a small bowl and set aside for serving.
- Prep the vegetables + kebabs — combine neutral and sesame oil and toss with the peppers and bok choy. Season with a little salt + pepper. Alternately thread fish and shishito peppers onto the skewers.
- Time to grill — preheat your outdoor grill on medium-high heat. Clean + oil the grill grates (very important!). Place the bok choy on one side, the skewers on the other side. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. (The bok choy takes a minute or two longer to get crisp tender all the way through, so start those first.)
Helpful Recipe Tips
It’s really important to prep your grill properly. Preheat first. Once really hot, clean the grates with a grill brush. Just before placing the food on the grill, oil the grates — wad up a paper towel, and using long tongs, dip into oil, then liberally brush the grates. For some extra insurance, use a metal spatula to carefully get under the kebabs before flipping.
There will likely be some sand or dirt caught in between the leaves. After halving the heads, immerse them in a large bowl of cold water and agitate them to loosen the dirt. Rinse and repeat, then place on towels or in a salad spinner to dry. Be warned, this might not reach all the dirt. You can quarter, instead of halve, the heads for better access, or cut the end of the bulb and separate all the leaves before rinsing. If you opt to separate the leaves, use a grill basket to prevent the bok choy from falling through the grates.
Definitely! Use chicken breasts or thighs, pork tenderloin, shrimp, scallops…whatever you like. Just keep in mind that grilling times will differ based on your protein of choice.
Stick Around For These Delicious Recipes!
- Coq Au Vin Style Kebabs
- Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Kebabs
- Sautéed White Fish + Mascarpone Polenta
- Air Fryer Spicy Fish Sandwiches
- Banh Mi Chicken Burgers
- Crab Stuffed Flounder
Grilled Miso Fish Skewers with Shishito Peppers + Baby Bok Choy
Equipment
- metal or wooden skewers
Ingredients
Marinade for Fish
- 4 teaspoon neutral oil, divided (like avocado oil)
- 2 tablespoon shallots, minced fine
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (see note)
- 1 clove fresh garlic, grated (see note)
- ½ cup white miso paste
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 pound wild caught fish fillets, cut into 1½-in cubes (any firm white fish or salmon)
Everything Else
- 2½ teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon sriracha hot sauce, or more, to taste (optional)
- 12 shishito peppers, halved diagonally (12, give or take)
- 4 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise, rinsed clean + dried
- kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper
- optional garnishes: thin sliced green onions, crispy fried shallots, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro
Instructions
- Heat 2 tsp of neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, ginger and garlic; saute for 2 minutes stirring continuously so it doesn't stick + burn. Whisk in the miso, brown sugar, lime juice and water until the brown sugar has dissolved and the marinade has no lumps; just a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Transfer half of the marinade to a medium bowl or shallow dish. Add the cubed fish and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the remaining marinade to a small bowl and whisk in 1/2 tsp of sesame oil. If you want a spicy finishing sauce, whisk in 1/2 tsp or more of sriracha, as desired. Set aside for serving.
- While the fish marinates, combine the remaining 2 tsp of neutral oil with the remaining 2 tsp of sesame oil. Brush or toss the shishito peppers and bok choy with the oil, then season with kosher salt + black pepper.
- Alternately thread the cubed fish and shishito peppers onto skewers.
- Heat the grill to medium-high. Clean and oil the grill grates. Give the bok choy a head start: place them on one side of the grill, cut side down and grill for a minute or two. Then, place the fish kebabs on the other side. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, flipping just once. Flip the bok choy half way through cooking and shift their direction so the bulb ends are over the hottest parts of the grate. (The fish and bok choy should finish at about the same time.)
- Remove each to a platter and drizzle with the finishing sauce or serve it on the side. Garnish as desired and serve with steamed rice.
Notes
- Use a microplane rasp to grate the ginger and garlic to a really fine texture that will ‘melt’ into the marinade.
- It’s really important to prep your grill properly. Preheat first. Once really hot, clean the grates with a grill brush. Just before placing the food on the grill, oil the grates — wad up a paper towel, and using long tongs, dip into oil, then liberally brush the grates. For some extra insurance, use a metal spatula to carefully get under the kebabs before flipping.
- Substitute with chicken breasts or thighs, pork tenderloin, shrimp…whatever you like. Just keep in mind that grilling times will differ based on your protein of choice.
Nutrition
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