Grill-Grate Fish Skewers with Garlic Potato Mash
Firm white fish, lemon and oregano, and a garlic potato mash built from flakes.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Sea bass or other firm white fish | 1 lb | cut into 2-inch cubes, kept cold in the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 1/2 cup | divided between marinade and mash |
| Lemon juice | 2 tbsp | bottled travels fine |
| Garlic, minced | 1 tbsp | jarred is easier than peeling in camp |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Dried dill | 1 tsp | |
| Salt and pepper | 1/4 tsp each | |
| Red pepper flakes | 1/4 tsp | optional |
| Instant potato flakes | 1 1/2 cups | |
| Garlic powder | 2 tsp | stands in for the twelve raw cloves |
| Red wine vinegar | 3 tbsp | |
| Cherry tomatoes | 1 cup | |
| Zucchini | 1 medium | cut into 1/2-inch rounds |
| Red onion | 1 small | cut into 1-inch pieces |
| Metal skewers | 4 | |
| Feta | 6 oz block | vacuum-sealed, cooler only |
Method
- At home, mix the oregano, dill, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes into one small jar. Cut the vegetables and bag them.
- In camp, toss the fish cubes with 1/4 cup oil, the lemon juice, minced garlic, and half the spice jar. Let it sit in the cooler while the fire burns down.
- Thread fish, tomatoes, zucchini, and onion onto the metal skewers, alternating.
- Boil 350 ml of water in the pot. Kill the heat, stir in the potato flakes, the rest of the spice jar, the vinegar, and the remaining oil. It should be thick enough to hold a spoon.
- Set the grate over coals or a low flame. Lay the skewers down and turn every 3 minutes. Eight to ten minutes total; the fish should flake and let go of the metal.
- Cut the feta into thick slabs, oil them, and lay them on the grate for two minutes a side until they mark.
- Spread the mash on a plate, put the skewers on it, and top with the feta.
The original version leans on two things that do not travel: a food processor and a pot of boiled potatoes. Instant potato flakes replace both. Add water off the heat, stir in the vinegar and oil, and you get the same thick, sharp, garlic-heavy base without peeling anything. Garlic powder does the work of a dozen raw cloves; raw garlic that has ridden in a cooler for two days tastes like a different vegetable.
Everything else is timing. The mash sits happily for ten minutes while the skewers cook, so make it first and get the pot out of the way. Fish cooks fast and sticks to a cold grate, so let the coals settle and oil the metal. The feta is optional weight, but it browns in two minutes and carries the fat that the lean fish does not.
Packing
Spices go into one jar at home. Fish and feta stay vacuum-sealed at the bottom of the cooler on ice; cook the fish on night one. Vegetables get cut and bagged before you leave. Metal skewers only — wooden ones need a soak you will not want to do.
Variations
- No cooler? Swap two foil pouches of salmon into the mash and skip the skewers entirely.
- Leave out the feta and the whole thing is dairy-free.
- Cook the skewers in a foil packet on coals if you have no grate.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/grilled-sea-bass-kebabs-with-skordalia-and-grilled-feta