And the Valley Cooks: Chargrilled Shark Brochettes with Cilantro-Garlic Butter

Oh, did somebody announce something about sharks?

Fun fact — sharks have a very firm meat that can pick up marinades hold up to grilling very well. Of course, it’s tough to get in some locals. The piney hills of Northern Mississippi, for example.

HOWEVER, far be it from us to deny you a recipe that could be workable in multiple formats, be it on skewers as brochettes or kabobs, or in fillets.

Although not in the Grove, where you can’t grill anything.

Ingredients

24 2-inch mako shark cubes
¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
¹⁄₂ cup white wine
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 tbsps chopped basil
2 tbsps thyme leaves
2 tbsps chopped tarragon
2 tbsps snipped chives
salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste
24 slices of red onions
24 slices of zucchini
24 slices of red bell pepper
24 slices of yellow squash
6 whole large button mushrooms
³⁄₄ cup butter
¹⁄₄ cup thinly sliced garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps chopped cilantro

This recipe is out of John Folse’s Hooks, Lies and Alibis, which is a fantastic seafood cookbook.

Instructions

1. Rinse shark well in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, wine, balsamic, basil, thyme, tarragon and chives. Mix well and season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic. Add the fish and mix well to coat.
3. Add the onions, zucchini, bell pepper, squash and mushrooms, mix well and allow to marinate at room temperature for one hour. Yes, you can leave this at room temperature, but only because you’ll be cooking it right away — if you need to do this in advance, I would use a refrigerator and then just take the fish out in advance of cooking. You’ll want it as close to room temperature as you can for the grill.
4. In a small saute pan, heat the melted butter over medium-high, then add the sliced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown — DO NOT over-cook, or the garlic will taste bitter. Add the lemon juice and cilantro, mix well and remove from heat. Keep warm.
5. Prepare your grill of choice; gas or charcoal is fine, although you may want to add some wood chips to charcoal for a little extra flavor. Make sure you coat your grill, either with non-stick cooking spray or a rag dipped in a little vegetable oil. Fish can stick easily.
6. Using six large skewers (wood, metal, your choice), alternate onion, fish, zucchini, bell pepper and squash, with each end capped by a mushroom cap. Grill 15-20 minutes and base regularly with your leftover marinade.
7. Serve drizzled with the cilantro-garlic butter. Serves six.