The Queen's Hake kebabs

Last night I got home and The Queen was busy knocking up these kebabs for dinner. After fake-helping and watching her do about 99% of the work I jokingly asked her if she would be bummed if I blogged and claimed the recipe to be mine. She asked me if I would like a foot up my ass. Aaaah, marriage. It's truly a magical thing. So guys, make no mistake. These kebabs (delicious by the way) are hers. Let's appreciate that. 

Stuff you'll need to feed 2:

• About 400 of firm white fish, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces (we used hake owing to the fact that it is on the green list)
• A handful or two of cherry tomatoes
• A few pieces of black forest ham, cut lengthways (or bacon if you want, we were keeping it as healthy as possible)
• A handful of courgettes, sliced lengthways as finely as possible
• A few wooden skewers
• A bowl of mixed lettuce leaves (look for different colours, sizes, shapes and textures)
• A handful of mixed sprouts
• 2 lemons, zest removed
• Two tablespoons of mixed dried herbs (thyme, basil, oreganum etc.) 
• A handful of fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1-2 chillies, sliced on the diagonal
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Okay, what to do:

1. Soak the skewers for about 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Turn your grill on to maximum heat if cooking in the oven, (They taste waaaaay better cooked on a braai though).

2. In a pestle and mortar add a few glugs of olive oil, the garlic, the lemon zest, the rosemary and mixed herbs. Bash up the mixture to create a rough paste.  (If you don't have a pestle and mortar don't stress. Just mix the stuff together in a bowl.)

3. Thread a courgette slice onto the skewer, wrapping it around a piece of fish. Add a slice of ham and double them both back over. Add another piece of fish and wrap the ham and courgette back around it. (See picture to get the vibe). Add a cherry tomato and repeat the process until the skewer is loaded up and good to go. 

4. Place the skewers in a baking dish and pour over the marinade. Leave for about 30 minutes. Just before cooking add juice of one lemon. 

5. Cook for a few minutes under the grill or on a braai. They are done when the bacon/ham is crispy, the fish is white but still moist and the tomatoes are blistering. This won't take long guys. Please don't overcook the fish. Rather take it off for a taste early. You can always put it back on for more. 

6. Meanwhile make the (ridiculously easy) salad by combining the lettuce, the chilli, the sprouts and the juice of the second lemon. Season well with black pepper. Throw on a bit of olive oil too. 

7. To serve, spoon out the salad and cross the kebabs over each other. 

In terms of health and nutritional value you will be hard-pressed to beat this one. Throw in the fact that it tastes like rainbows and you've got a winner. Enjoy it peeps. And if you ever bump into The Queen just be sure to mention how f-ing good those kebabs of hers were. Cool, I owe you a solid. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who