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Indian cooking / Dishes / Samudri Seekh
Samudri Seekh (Seafood Skewers)

Samudri Seekh

Seafood Skewers
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin PunjabPrep 20–30 minutesCook 5–7 minutes

Tender seafood seekh kebabs combining minced fish and prawns seasoned with fresh chillies, herbs, and aromatics. They cook quickly over intense heat and finish with a rich glaze of melted butter.

Ginger-garlic paste

16 gMixed into the seafood mince (step 2)
Combine together into a smooth paste.

Everything else

01
500 g
fish
02
Large prawn · Jhingapeeled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry with kitchen paper (paper towels), then chopped
500 g
seafood
03
3.5 g3½ tablespoons
herb
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
18 g3 chillies
vegetable
05
20 g4 teaspoons
dairy
06
to taste
dairy
07
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Preheat an overhead grill (broiler) to medium, or ready a charcoal grill or tandoor to moderate heat.
  2. Place 500 g fish and 500 g prawns into a large bowl. Add the ginger-garlic paste, 0.5 tbsp white pepper, 3.5 g coriander leaf, 18 g green chilli, and salt to taste, mixing thoroughly until evenly distributed. Stir in 4 tsp cream.
  3. Separate the mixture into 16 equal portions. Press each portion firmly onto metal skewers, shaping them into cylinders roughly 10 cm (4 inches) long; space them 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart if fitting two on one skewer.
  4. Grill the skewers for 4 to 5 minutes, turning as needed until the seafood is fully cooked through.
  5. Take the skewers off the heat and suspend them upright over a drip tray for 5 minutes so any excess liquid drains away.
  6. Transfer the kebabs to a shallow pan, brush all over with melted butter, and return to the heat for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Don't have something?

Firm white fish fillet
  • Firm white fish

    Use the same weight, clean and cut into fillet-sized pieces. Cooking time is the same; remove any bones.

  • Firm fish fillet

    Use the same weight. Check thickness; thick pieces may need 2–3 minutes more simmering.

  • Skinless firm white fish fillet

    Use the same weight. Skinless flakes more; handle gently and add late.

Large prawn
  • King prawn

    Use the same weight; cooking time is the same. Peel and devein as needed.

  • Tiger prawn

    Use the same weight; same cooking time, but slit the back if very thick.

  • Small prawn

    Use the same weight; reduce cooking by 1–2 minutes so they do not toughen.

Ginger paste
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; peel and grate very finely on a microplane or pound to a fine paste in a mortar.

  • Ginger

    Use equal weight; mince finely and crush with the flat of a knife before frying.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% of the weight; add directly with the dry spice powders, though it yields an earthier, less pungent profile.

Garlic paste
  • Garlic

    Use equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.

Ground white pepper
  • Ground black pepper

    Use 80–100% of the weight. Darker and sharper; reduce slightly if you do not want extra heat.

  • Black peppercorn

    Grind the same weight fresh; same darker, sharper result.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Cream
  • Double cream

    Use the same weight. Richer and thickens well; do not boil hard or it may split.

  • Single cream

    Use the same weight. Thinner; reduce other liquid or simmer the sauce to thicken.

  • Full cream milk

    Use 80% of the weight. No thickening; simmer to reduce and add a little ghee for richness.

Melted butter
  • Melted ghee

    Use the same weight; nuttier and keeps better. Reduce salt if the butter was salted.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 80% of the weight; no dairy flavour and less richness. Good for frying, less good for finishing.

  • Melted unsalted butter

    Use the same weight; adjust salt in the dish if your butter was salted.

Similar dishes

Ambat Dahyatil Machhi
Fried Soured Cream Fish
Ambat Dahyatil Machhi is tangier and peppery from the soured cream and black pepper rather than fiery and herbal from green chillies and fresh coriander.
  • Same: Like this dish, Ambat Dahyatil Machhi features fish seasoned with ginger paste and garlic paste.
  • Different: Instead of minced seafood skewers glazed in butter, Ambat Dahyatil Machhi uses fish fillets marinated in soured cream, dredged in rice flour, and deep-fried in vegetable oil.
Musallam Bharwan Machhali
Whole Stuffed Fish
Musallam Bharwan Machhali is richer and sweeter from caramelized onions and mint, whereas this dish has a sharper heat from fresh green chillies.
  • Same: Both feature fish seasoned with ginger paste, garlic paste, and fresh coriander leaf.
  • Different: Musallam Bharwan Machhali uses a whole stuffed fish cooked gently in ghee and oil with onions, mint, and chilli powder, whereas this dish uses minced fish and prawns grilled quickly on skewers with fresh green chillies and butter.
Maspatotia
Fish Roasted in Banana Leaves
Maspatotia tastes pungent and mustard-forward with a smoky char, while this dish is buttery and creamy from cream and melted butter.
  • Same: Maspatotia shares firm white fish and green chilli with this dish, and both are cooked with high heat.
  • Different: It uses mustard seed, mustard oil and banana leaves and lacks this dish's prawns, cream, melted butter, ginger, garlic and white pepper, and it is wrapped and pan-grilled rather than skewered.
Mahi Tikka Ajwaini
Thyme-flavoured Fish
Mahi Tikka Ajwaini tastes smoky, tangy from lemon, and aromatic with ajwain and mustard oil, while this dish tastes of seafood, green chilli and coriander with a buttery finish.
  • Same: Mahi Tikka Ajwaini and this dish both use firm white fish, ginger-garlic paste, salt, melted butter, and skewer cooking over high heat.
  • Different: Mahi Tikka Ajwaini is fish-only with a lemon, ajwain, mustard-oil and hung-yoghurt marinade plus yellow chilli, turmeric, garam masala and chana dal, whereas this dish minces fish with prawns and seasons with green chilli, coriander leaf, white pepper and cream.