Cod and Chorizo Skewers on Rosemary Stems

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Made using Spanish chorizo, these cod and chorizo skewers on rosemary stems make for a fresh, fragrant and fuss-free barbecue lunch or dinner. Team them with homemade alioli for a zesty flavour boost!

Salty, spicy, sweet and smoky. There’s no denying the appeal of authentic Spanish chorizo. This iconic red sausage has its roots in the 17th Century, when paprika first arrived in Spain from America. It’s just as popular today as it was all those years ago – not just within Spain, but in many other parts of the world, too.

I’m delighted to be working with the Consorcio del Chorizo Español (Spanish Chorizo Consortium) to raise awareness of Spanish chorizo and its uses for barbecuing.

A voluntary association of companies from the Spanish meat industry who are experts in the production and export of high quality Spanish chorizo, the Spanish Chorizo Consortium ensures that only meat produced by its members can be labelled as such. This provides a guarantee of quality, distinguishing authentic Spanish chorizo from its counterparts.

Read on to find out more, plus find my recipe for cod and chorizo skewers at the bottom of this post.

What are the ingredients in Spanish chorizo?

Spanish chorizo is a mixture of chopped or minced pork, garlic, paprika and salt, alongside other herbs and spices. Traditionally, the ingredients are stuffed into a casing made from pig intestine.

Do you need to cook Spanish chorizo?

In it’s firm, dry-cured form, Spanish chorizo doesn’t need to be cooked. Dry-cured chorizo is a great addition to any charcuterie board; simply slice it up and pair it with your favourite cured meats, cheeses, olives, veg or pickles. You can also buy it pre-sliced for tapas boards.

Spanish chorizo really comes into its own when cooked, however. While the dry-cured sausage can be convenient, it doesn’t quite compare to the taste of freshly cooked chorizo, served hot and oozing with peppery, pimentón-painted oil.

Should I remove skin or casing from chorizo?

Dependent on the kind of chorizo you’ll be cooking with, you might prefer to remove the skin or casing before use. This is often the case for dry-cured varieties, as the skin can be quite tough.

However, if you’re grilling or roasting uncooked chorizo, there’s no need to remove the skin; it’s edible and it should cook with the sausage, but you can always remove it after cooking if you prefer.

Where can I buy Spanish chorizo?

Spanish chorizo can be sourced from your local delicatessen or supermarket. I often buy mine from Wally’s Delicatessen in Royal Arcade, Cardiff and online Spanish produce shop, Mercado 44 (from the owners of highly acclaimed Spanish restaurants, Bar 44 in Cardiff, Penarth and Bristol and Asador 44 in Cardiff) usually have some great stuff in, too.

#ChorizoBBQ

To encourage us all to eat more Spanish chorizo, the Spanish Chorizo Consortium has launched a #ChorizoBBQ campaign, focusing on how Spanish chorizo barbacao (chorizo for barbecuing) can be used to create gourmet barbecue dishes.

While our summer has been somewhat shortlived in the UK this year, we’ve been treated to some August sunshine lately and and with Bank Holiday Monday falling today, there’s no better time to get your hands on some Spanish Chorizo and invite the family over for a barbecue. After all, this could be one of our last chances this year (sigh!)

Challenging me to create a #ChorizoBBQ recipe of my own, the Spanish Chorizo Consortium kindly sent me some chorizo barbacoa produced by Loza in La Rioja and a selection of #ChorizoBBQ-branded goodies including a portable barbecue, chopping board, knife, apron and tongs.

From chorizo burgers and chorizo hot dogs loaded with harissa mayo, to chorizo, charred corn and feta tacos, I had a few potential chorizo recipes up my sleeve. Eventually, I settled upon cod and chorizo skewers; although the tacos came a very close second (I definitely need to revisit those sometime!)

Cod and chorizo skewers

Spanish chorizo and cod are a fine pairing for a barbecue. As the chorizo heats up on the grill, its luminous red-orange oil leaks all over the cod, infusing the otherwise bland fish with an irresistible smoky flavour.

Cod works particularly well for skewers or kebabs thanks to its lean, fairly meaty texture. You can thread it onto metal or bamboo skewers – or even onto rosemary stems, as I’ve done here – with no worry of it breaking up into smaller pieces. When shopping for cod, or other kinds of fresh fish, you should look for the blue MSC ecolabel to ensure that you’ll be buying sustainably farmed fish.

Using rosemary stems gives the skewers an irresistible aromatic flavour. Be warned though, unless you can source long, woody rosemary stems (like the kind that grow in a shrub rather then the pre-cut variety on sale in supermarkets), the skewers will be somewhat flimsy. I used stems cut from a potted rosemary plant, but they could’ve done with being slightly longer. You may need some kitchen roll to hand, but this is fun finger food art its best; my family loved it!

For sturdier skewers, try wrapping the rosemary stems around bamboo or metal skewers instead.

What can I use as an alternative to cod?

If you’re not keen on cod or perhaps just fancy a different kind of fish on your skewers, you can substitute cod with haddock, monkfish, swordfish, pollack, scallops, prawns or squid.

Not a fish fan? Go for chicken, pork or halloumi instead.

What veg can I use on my cod and chorizo skewers?

I’ve used juicy tomatoes and sweet red Romano peppers to accompany the cod and chorizo on my skewers, but feel free to experiment with any veg you like. Courgettes, aubergine and bell peppers would all work well too, for example.

How to make cod and chorizo skewers

When it comes to making your cod and chorizo skewers, the first thing to think about is the skewers themselves.

You could use bamboo skewers (if you soak them in water in advance) or metal skewers, or you could get creative and transform rosemary stems into skewers like I’ve done here. The rosemary imparts a fresh, fragrant flavour throughout the fish, chorizo and veg during cooking.

Simply remove the rosemary leaves from each stem, leaving just a few at the top. Save the leaves and place them to one side, as you’ll be using them again for the cod marinade.

Soak the stems in cold water for at least half an hour before you intend to use them, to prevent them from burning on the barbecue. If you’ll be using bamboo skewers, you can soak those at this stage.

While the rosemary stems or bamboo skewers are soaking, dice the cod into two-inch chunks, slice the chorizo sausage into one-inch-thick rounds and halve the Romano peppers and cut them widthways into one-inch chunks.

Next, it’s time to marinate the fish. Prepare the olive oil, garlic and rosemary marinade (see full recipe below for details), add the cod and place into the fridge, covered, for around 30 minutes.

Once the bamboo skewers or rosemary stems have finished soaking, use a metal skewer to create a hole in each piece of chorizo, cod, pepper and tomato, so it’ll be easier to thread them onto the rosemary stems.

Next, gently thread your marinated cod, chorizo, tomatoes and peppers onto the rosemary stems, alternating as you go. Ensure the stems are fully covered, as you don’t want them to burn.

Fire up the barbecue and when the flames have died down and the coals are grey, carefully transfer the skewers onto the grill and cook for around 8-12 minutes, turning carefully every now and then. Don’t overcook them, as the cod will dry out.

Once cooked, drizzle the lemon juice over the skewers and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serve your cod and chorizo skewers with a zesty alioli or aioli, along with any sides of your choice. I kept it fairly simple with some Charlotte potatoes tossed in salted Welsh butter, buttered corn-on-the-cob and authentic Spanish alioli by Sweet and Sabroso.

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5 from 10 votes

Cod and Chorizo Skewers

Teamed with a tangy lemon aioli, these cod and chorizo skewers make for a mouthwatering chorizo BBQ lunch or dinner, ready 'from scratch' in under an hour.

Using rosemary stems in place of bamboo or metal skewers gives the skewers a fragrant flavour that your barbecue guests will love.

This is fun finger food at its finest. Have some kitchen roll to hand! For a sturdier kebab, wrap the rosemary stems around metal or bamboo skewers.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Mains

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword chorizo, cod, kebabs, skewers

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Marinating Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 57 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 150kcal

Author Kacie Morgan

Cost 4

Equipment

• Metal or bamboo skewers (optional)
• Barbecue or grill
• Barbecue tongs

Ingredients

For the cod and chorizo skewers

• 8 rosemary stems as long as possible
• 150 ml olive oil extra virgin
• 1 handful rosemary leaves (see step 1)
• 4 large garlic cloves peeled and crushed (or 6 smaller cloves)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 500 g cod skin removed
• 250 g Spanish chorizo
• 2 sweet red Romano peppers diced into one-inch slices
• 8 cherry or plum tomatoes
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1 bunch parsley finely chopped

Instructions

• First, prepare your rosemary skewers. Remove the leaves from the rosemary stems, leaving a sprig at the top. Keep the leaves to one side, as you'll be using them to make the marinade for the cod.

  Soak the rosemary stems in some cold water for at least half an hour, to prevent them from burning on the barbecue.
• While the rosemary stems are soaking, prepare the marinade for the cod. Pour the olive oil into a large mixing bowl along with the rosemary leaves from Step 1, crushed garlic cloves and black pepper.
• Cut the cod into 1.5-inch chunks and place into the mixing bowl, ensuring it's fully covered by the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so.
• While the cod is marinating, slice the chorizo to around one-inch wide.
• Halve each Romano pepper lengthways, then cut each halve widthways into slices of around 1.5-inch wide.
• Using a metal skewer, create a hole in each piece of chorizo, pepper and tomato. Repeat the process with the cod once it has finished marinating.
• Light the barbecue and allow the flames to die down until the coals are grey and ready to cook on. This should take around 20 minutes.
• Prepare your skewers for the barbecue. Thread a piece of Romano pepper onto the skewer (with the skin facing upwards, towards the top of the skewer), followed by a piece of cod, then chorizo, followed by a tomato. Repeat the process once more to fill each rosemary stem.
• Using a pair of tongs, carefully transfer the skewers to the barbecue and cook for 8-12 minutes until cooked through, turning (very gently) occasionally.
• Once cooked, drizzle the fresh lemon juice over your cod and chorizo skewers, scatter with fresh parsley and serve with a zesty homemade aioli (see the recipe notes for the link to the recipe I used).

Notes

• I served my cod and chorizo skewers with a traditional Spanish alioli made using a recipe from Sweet and Sabroso.
• Look for planted rosemary with long, woody stems. The trimmed rosemary stems available for purchase in most supermarkets are rather flimsy. I used a potted rosemary plant purchased from Sainsbury’s, but ideally you should look to take cuttings from a rosemary bush for your rosemary skewers. 
• For a sturdier skewer, you can wrap the rosemary stems around soaked bamboo or metal skewers if you prefer.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal

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