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Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette

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Seared salmon layered on skewers with tons of fresh summer flavors, these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette are the easiest dinner to beat the heat!

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Summer is almost here, and I could not be more excited. The warm weather, no school, trips to the beach…I mean, there’s truly no better season. In celebration of all this warm May weather, I’ve been hitting the farmer’s market recently. Although it may not be peach or tomato season quite yet, I’ve been loving all of the fresh produce — particularly all the summer zucchini and squash! 

With all that good produce in mind, I’ve been developing tons of summer inspired recipes! These Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette are the perfect example. With perfectly juicy and crisp salmon, quickly charred zucchini and squash, and a to-die-for pesto vinaigrette, these skewers are truly the best! You have to give them a try.

The breakdown…

These Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette start off with the salmon. Although it isn’t done all that often, salmon can easily be diced up into 1-2 inch cubes. You can use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife — both will work! Once you have that salmon diced up, it’s time to toss it with all the goods. Lemon, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper bring tons of flavor into the fish, while the olive oil allows for a good crisp. Still, I recommend using a good, full bodied olive oil, as this will bring in tons of flavor too.

After tossing it all together, I recommend allowing the salmon to marinate for a few minutes. This recipe calls for the salmon sitting with all those flavors whilst preparing the rest of the dish, which, in this case means slicing the squashes and making the pesto. Given that this may not take very long, you could also make the salmon ahead of time and allow it to sit for up to 30 minutes, if you wanted to make the salmon extra flavorful. 

Assembling those kabobs…

Next up, all you have to do is rope that salmon on the skewers with the squash! This Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette recipe calls for two skewers per kabob, as opposed to only using one. If you line 2 skewers up parallel to one another (about ½ – 1 inch apart), the kabobs will hold their structure much better — nobody wants their salmon to fall off in their pan! 

So, go ahead and rope on your first piece of salmon onto your two skewers. After that, fold up each thin slice of zucchini and squash in half, making a “fan” of sorts. Then, thread on a few pieces (2-3) of each vegetable onto your skewer, and repeat the process 3-4 times. Super easy, yet so good! Sure, you could just eat the salmon plain with some summer squash and pesto, but these skewers allow for the salmon to develop so much flavor in such a short time. And, my personal favorite part of these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette, the salmon gets 10000 times crispier than your average fish!! I mean, more surface area means more crisp… and that’s definitely the best part of salmon!

That pesto vinaigrette!

Lastly, let’s talk about that pesto vinaigrette. This pesto vinaigrette is a very typical walnut pesto that’s been thinned out to create more of a “vinaigrette” style dressing — perfect for these kabobs. In basic terms, pesto is typically 2 cups of greens, about 1 cup liquid, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, and about ⅓ cup of nuts or seeds. This pesto goes with fresh basil and mint for the greens because I looove all the summer herbs with the salmon and the squash. However, you could totally go with arugula, kale, parsley, or even chives. The sky’s the limit with a pesto!

Moreover, you could totally switch up the nuts. This recipe calls for walnuts, but pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, or pecans would all be delicious! You could even do sunflower or pumpkin seeds if you wanted to go nut free… pesto is super interchangeable! 

Along these lines, you may notice that this pesto vinaigrette does not have Parmesan cheese in it, like a typical pesto may. This is because this is a vinaigrette, which is much thinner than a pesto spread. Leaving out the cheese allows for this vinaigrette to get the perfect consistency, but I also just love how the basil flavor is the star here. In these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette, you really don’t need any Parmesan. In fact, I don’t love seafood with cheese (except for the occasional feta or goat cheese!). So, it’s really the best of both worlds!

how to serve these up!

Overall, these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette really are the most versatile, delicious summer dish. Serve them up for your classic family dinner with a side of your favorite grain or potatoes for a well rounded meal. Or, go in a super summery direction with a side of my Charred Corn and Strawberry Herbed Salad, Chilled Asparagus and Pea Orzo Salad, Panko Baked Eggplant and Tomatoes, or the Best Summer Avocado and Corn Pasta Salad. Better yet? Go with a full summer spread and serve these up for a backyard barbecue or dinner party (hello, Memorial Day Weekend!!). I would serve up a few of those sides, some Chicken Souvlaki Skewers, and these kabobs…perfect meal for a crowd! 

Whatever you serve these with, I’m sure these will be delicious! I hope you love these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette as much as I do. Let me know in the comments below!

Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, Skewer, Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

kabobs
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Seared salmon layered on skewers with tons of fresh summer flavors, these Salmon Kabobs with Summer Squash and Pesto Vinaigrette are the easiest dinner to beat the heat!

Ingredients

  • equipment:
  • 16-18 skewers, soaked in water for 45 minutes*

  • skewers:
  • 1.5 lb salmon

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tsp dried oregano

  • 2 tsp dried parsley

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

  • 1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced

  • pesto vinaigrette:
  • 1 cup fresh basil*

  • 1 cup fresh mint*

  • ⅓ cup olive oil

  • ½ cup water

  • 1 lemon, juiced

  • ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted*

  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • red pepper flakes, to taste

Instructions

  • With kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, dice the salmon into 1-2 inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss the salmon cubes with the lemon, olive oil, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to marinate while preparing the rest of the dish, about 10-15 minutes.
  • To make the pesto vinaigrette, combine all pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender. Thin with more water, if necessary.
  • Spread out the zucchini and squash slices on 2 plates and cover with a damp towel. Microwave for 2 minutes to soften.
  • To assemble your skewers, thread a piece of salmon followed by a few slices of folded up zucchini and squash onto two parallel skewers (using two skewers will help them not fall apart). Repeat until your skewers are about ¾ way covered (about 3-4 pieces of salmon per set of skewers).
  • Heat a greased grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add your skewers to the pan and sear for about 8 minutes total, rotating the skewers every few minutes to make sure the salmon is getting a good sear on each side.
  • Once the salmon is cooked through and the squash has charred, remove from the heat. Serve with a drizzle of the pesto vinaigrette, and enjoy!

Notes

  • Make sure to soak your wooden skewers for about 45 minutes prior to use, as this will reduce any wood splinters from getting in your food.
  • In the pesto vinaigrette, you can substitute the basil and mint for just about any greens or herbs. Arugula, kale, and parsley would be my other go-tos.
  • In the pesto vinaigrette, you can also substitute the walnuts for any nut or seed of choice. Pistachios, pecans, pine nuts, or any seed would be delicious. Go with what you love!
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