How to make different types of skewers and how to present them

If you want to know how to make skewers , it is very important that you take into account certain things that can be very helpful when preparing them with agility. In this way, the final result will also be very attractive visually. After all, we must not forget that, even if it is food, the first thing it does is enter our eyes.

This is precisely what we are going to tell you in each recipe for pinchos that we will give you next: how to make it and how to achieve the best presentation.

How to make pinchos: some original ideas

Oven-roasted vegetable kebab

A much healthier alternative to classic meat skewers. Their calories are also practically non-existent. As if that were not enough, the contrast with the honey-mustard sauce is delicious.

To make approximately 4 portions of skewers you will need one courgette, two spring onions, 200 grams of cherry tomatoes, two cloves of garlic, one lemon, two tablespoons of mustard, 200 grams of mushrooms (whole), salt, olive oil, pepper, a couple of tablespoons of honey and a handful of parsley. Also, of course, some skewers. Let’s see how to make them, in about half an hour you’ll have them ready.

• We start with the dressing. To do this, chop the garlic and parsley and put them in a mortar. Crush them until you see that they are completely dissolved.
• Add the honey, mustard and oil to the mortar. Mix until you get a homogeneous sauce. Set aside.
• Cut the courgette and the spring onions into medium sized pieces, calculating that they are of such a size that they can be eaten without complications.
• Stick the vegetables on the sticks until the skewers are complete.
• Paint the skewers with the sauce you reserved at the beginning.
• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Put the skewers in the oven (if it has one, on the rack) for about 20 minutes or until you see that they are golden.

Gilda

Although it had already existed for a few years, this typically Basque skewer owes its name to the mythical film of the same name starring Rita Hayworth in the 1940s. In just under 10 minutes you will have your “Gildas” ready.

On this occasion you will need (quantities for two people) six pickled peppers (or piparras), six salted anchovies, several green olives (pitted, for convenience) and extra virgin olive oil. Also a skewer.

• Drain the liquid from the chillies and cut off their tails (optional, you can leave them whole if you wish). Divide each one into two pieces or leave them whole if they are small.
• Drain the anchovy fillets. Clean the oil if you like, as we will water everything later with olive oil.
• Mount the skewer on the skewer stick in this order: green olive, a portion of chilli pepper (or piparra) and an anchovy folded over itself; then another half chilli pepper and to finish another olive. However, if you want you can also change the order or portion of the components of the skewer.
• Now dress the skewers with a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil.

Shrimp with egg

A perfect combination that will result in an excellent skewer with very few ingredients. You will need several sticks to put it all together.

As for the ingredients, these are an egg, a shrimp, mayonnaise, chopped parsley and a dash of brandy or cognac (for the flaming) for each shrimp skewer with egg you want to make.

• Boil the egg.
• Fry and flambé a peeled shrimp with the brandy or cognac.
• Cut a slice from the top of the egg to make a base for the shrimp.
• Put some mayonnaise on the part of the egg you have cut.
• Stick a toothpick over the shrimp and carefully insert it into the egg with mayonnaise. As a suggestion, you can crown the skewer with a stuffed olive to give it a special touch.
• To finish, sprinkle parsley on the skewer.

Cod in oil

Since fish as tasty as cod is the main ingredient of this skewer, success is assured. When you do this, bear in mind that it will take you about 10 minutes, to which you will have to add at least another 15 minutes for it to rest.

To make this cod skewer in oil for two people you will need skewer sticks, 300 grams of desalted cod (from the back), a chilli pepper, two cloves of garlic, chopped parsley and extra virgin olive oil.

• Chop the garlic cloves and some chilli pepper rings.
• Remove thin slices of the cod (obviously without bones) or, if you prefer, cut into small cubes.
• Put the cod, the garlic cloves and the chilli rings in a deep container and water everything with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.
• If you don’t want the cod to be completely raw, you can boil it for a few seconds.
• It is now ready. Just give it a final touch by sprinkling on the parsley.

Something you can also do to make the flavour of the skewer even more intense is to put it in the fridge for a couple of days so that it is totally impregnated with the other ingredients. It will last several days in the fridge perfectly.

Besides knowing how to prepare skewers, to achieve an optimum final result you also need to know how to present them. If you want them to look better, you can choose a skewer stand where they will be perfectly exposed so that you can take the ones you want. To give them a more personal touch, you can also choose cocktail sticks with different designs and even themes (for example, with flags).

We hope we have helped you discover new options to incorporate into your tapas recipes. Between their deliciousness and the effectiveness of a good presentation, success is guaranteed.