Grilled Seafood Skewers

Your fish has got to be super-fresh with that almost-sweet smell. Tuna should be lovely and bright red; swordfish white. You can choose another type of fish here, as long as you can cut it easily into squares and thread it onto skewers. These are passed through a bread crumb, parsley, and garlic mix and then grilled so they turn golden dark and crispy in places. It is important that they are still soft and moist inside but cooked through. You could add some chopped herbs, or even finely chopped red chile, to the dressing.

Cut the swordfish and tuna into 3/4-inch blocks. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Clean the squid and cut the bodies into thick rings (you won't need the wings or tentacles here, so save them for something else).

Using short metal skewers, or bamboo ones that have been soaked in cold water for an hour, thread a block of swordfish, a block of tuna, a squid ring, then a shrimp (spiking this through in two places), then another block of swordfish and finally tuna. You should have enough to make about 12 skewers, and you might need to juggle the order around a bit at the end depending on how much of each fish you have left.

Heat the grill to high. Mix the parsley, garlic, bread crumbs, and a little salt together on a large plate. Pat the skewers on all sides in this mixture so that they're lightly coated.

For the dressing, mix together the oil, garlic, and lemon juice, and add some salt and black pepper.

Brush the grill rack with a little oil and grill the skewers until they are charred deep golden in some parts, but not for so long that they dry out. Reduce the heat or move the rack farther from the coals if the crust starts to burn before the fish cooks through. Serve hot, with some dressing drizzled over and a sprinkling of salt.

Makes about 12 skewers