Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewers
Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewers

Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewers

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 4 as a main course

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

The combination of chorizo and cod is absolutely delicious and I particularly like the spiciness and almost smoky notes of chorizo. I have used chorizo-style sausagemeat for this recipe. You can buy these sausages, ready-made, from the supermarket and simply remove the sausagemeat from the skins, or you can ask your butcher for the mixture without the sausage skins. I usually place my order in advance and they will do it for me without a problem.

This recipe is a great way to use up trimmings of cod, or you could use other white fish instead, such as hake, lemon sole or sea bass. Remember to remove the skin and all the bones.

I cook these skewers over the barbecue, but if you prefer to use the oven instead, please see the Cook’s Note at the end of the recipe.photo of Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewersphoto of Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewersphoto of Barbecued Cedar Wood-wrapped Cod and Chorizo Skewers

Ingredients & Method

  • 200g skinless, boneless fresh cod, cut into 1cm dice
  • 400g spicy chorizo-style sausagemeat
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
  • 50g dried panko breadcrumbs
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 4 cedar wood sheets, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat the barbecue to a mild/low heat.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cod, sausagemeat, chopped herbs and salt and pepper until combined. Divide and shape the mixture into 12 even-sized balls, place the balls on a tray or large plate and leave to rest in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the breadcrumbs and lemon zest together in a small bowl. Once the cod mixture is ready, roll each ball in the breadcrumb mixture to coat all over. Take 4 metal skewers and thread 3 breadcrumbed balls onto each skewer. Place each skewer onto one of the drained soaked cedar wood sheets. Wrap each cedar wood sheet around the balls, then secure with kitchen string.

Cook the parcels over a mild/low barbecue for 15–20 minutes or until the fish/meat balls are cooked through (the cedar wood sheets will have become dark in colour too). I like to cook these on the cooler parts of the barbecue so that the soaked wood does not dry out too quickly nor burn too fast (if you are using a barbecue with a lid, then use the lid to encourage the smoking).

Once cooked, serve the barbecued skewers on plates, allowing each person to unwrap their skewer themselves. Serve with a salad of your choice or buttered new potatoes.

Cook’s Note

To cook the parcels in the oven (instead of barbecuing them), preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Prepare the wrapped skewers as above, then place them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until the fish/meat balls are cooked through.