Sticky Salmon Kabobs with Bacon Sauce
On July 05, 2022 (Updated December 02, 2024)
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These sticky bacon and salmon kabobs are sweet and salty and perfectly crispy! A unique seasoning blend of bacon and cola syrup makes these salmon kabobs irresistible!
Salmon Kabobs
I’m not here to mince words. These salmon kabobs are legendary. Can you remember the last time you even had a salmon kabobs? Probably not. And there are reasons. Technical setbacks, if you will. Read on and I’ll enlighten you on the method of making these salmon kabobs melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Salmon kebabs aren’t something you typically see on the grill because of the technical issues with grilling small pieces of fish. Fish loves to stick to grills and shred apart, but when you cut that tender fish into tiny bite-sized pieces the issue amplifies. You end up with no fish left on your sticks and all of the fish falling through the grates.
The solution is being really thorough with oiling your grates (cooking oil soaked into a paper towel and rubbed all over the grates before grilling) and ALSO, the bacon in this recipe. The bacon bath actually acts as a non-stick coating for the outside of the salmon while it grills.
Ingredients for Bacon and Salmon Kabobs
The bacon puree really is the secret ingredient to make these kebabs sing. The tender salmon is coated in smoky, savory, bacony goodness, as well as some Spicy Kola Nut syrup from Torani. It is essentially a really concentrated cola flavor, so think hints of ginger and allspice.
It paired perfectly with the hoisin sauce flavors that I brushed on at the end for that sticky, saucy finish. These may seem complicated and fancy, but truly there are only 5 ingredients and they cook in less than 10 minutes. They’re the ultimate quick dinner!
Here’s what you need for these salmon kabobs:
- 1 pound skinless salmon fillet
- 2 lemons
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 Tablespoon Torani Spicy Kola Nut syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- Sesame seeds and green onions (optional garnishes)
How to Grill Salmon Kabobs
Here’s how to grill salmon kabobs. Don’t be intimidated by cooking fish on the grill! It can be a bit of a challenge, but I’m confident you’ll come out on top.
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your gas or charcoal grill to 400 degrees F. Liberally wipe down the grates with high-heat cooking oil to help prevent the fish from sticking. Slice your salmon into cubes.
- Make the sauce. Make the bacon sauce following the instructions in the printable recipe card below. Pour the bacon sauce over the cubed salmon and coat well.
- Assemble the salmon kabobs. Thread the salmon and lemon slices onto metal skewers.
- Grill. Place the salmon kabobs on the grill and cook for 5 minutes per side. Brush with remaining hoisin sauce during the last minute of cooking. Make sure your salmon has reached 145 degrees F before removing it from the grill.
- Serve. Remove the kabobs from the grill and serve immediately with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions.
How Long to Grill Salmon Kabobs
Salmon kabobs only take around 5 minutes per side, or 10 minutes total to cook on the grill.
You’ll turn these kabobs once on the grill, but make sure you do this very carefully, as the fish likes to stick to the grates. Adjust the cooking time as needed if your kabobs are cooking too slow or too fast.
More Grilled Kabob Recipes
Salmon Kabob Recipe
Check out the printable recipe below for full ingredient amounts and instructions. Once you make these, be sure to return to this post to let us know how it turned out. We love to hear from you!
This post was originally published in August 2016. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Sticky Salmon Kabobs with Bacon Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless salmon filet cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 lemons sliced
- sesame seeds and green onions optional garnish
Bacon Sauce
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 Tablespoon Torani Spicy Kola Nut syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce divided use
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F and liberally wipe down the grates with cooking oil. While your grill preheats, prepare your kabobs.
- Make the bacon sauce. In a food processor, blend the bacon slices until a puree is created. Mix in the Spicy Kola Nut syrup as well as 1 Tablespoon of the hoisin sauce.
- Season. Pour the bacon sauce over the cubed salmon in a bowl and stir to thoroughly coat the salmon.
- Grill. Thread the salmon and lemon slices onto kebab skewers and transfer to the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, turning only once and very carefully. During the last minute of cooking, brush the kebabs with the remaining hoisin sauce.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and green onions (optional) before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is the best item recipe I ever tried.
I am cooking bacon first
man, I haven’t made kebabs yet this year. I need to change that!
These are gorgeous kebabs! I admittedly don’t get out much, but have never seen lemon slices used on kebabs. I bet it adds so much to the flavor along with looking so pretty.
Thank you Johnna! I don’t think lemons are a common kebab ingredient, but they really to add so much to the salmon in terms of flavor and visual appeal.
I love this recipe! Of course the fact you have bacon with the salmon makes me sooooooo HAPPY!
You don’t see salmon and bacon together a ton, but hopefully we start seeing more of it. They make a great combo!
I just can’t get over the bacon sauce–JUST WOW!!!
It is pretty unforgettable!
The bacon sauce is genius! These kebabs look fabulous!
Thank you Liz!
Such a good tip.
Thanks Megan!
That Kola Nut Syrup sounds good! Never heard of it but can’t wait to try!
I had never heard of it either until I got some to try. Now it is my favorite syrup flavor!