Grilled Halibut Kebabs with Marcona Almond Sauce

One of our all-time favorite recipes, this is a surprisingly simple dish to make, given how delicious and elegant the results are. The tangy and sublime sauce—the invention of one of our sons—features Spanish Marcona almonds, which have a sweet and delicate taste. The sauce can be partially prepared a day ahead. Adding lemon juice to the sauce just before serving ensures that the tastes and colors stay bright.

SERVES 4

16 (8-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, or 16 (8-inch) metal skewers

Almond Sauce

⅔ cup Marcona almonds

4 teaspoons coriander seeds

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Grated zest and juice of 2 small lemons, preferably organic (about 4 tablespoons juice, 2 tablespoons zest)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Kebabs

2 (2-inch-thick) halibut steaks, boned and skinned (1¾ to 2 pounds total), cut into twelve 2-inch cubes

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced (about 2 teaspoons)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 lemons or limes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

16 fresh small figs (optional)

To make the almond sauce, toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Roughly chop and transfer the nuts to a small bowl. In the same skillet, lightly toast the coriander seeds over medium heat, stirring, until just fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Coarsely crush the seeds using a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin, between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the crushed coriander, olive oil, mustard, and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. (Set the lemon juice aside until just before serving.) Stir in the toasted almonds and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make the kebabs, combine the halibut with 3 tablespoons of the oil and the garlic and place in a large glass baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 10 minutes.

Assemble the skewers, alternating the fish cubes, lemon or lime rounds, and figs, if using. Use 2 parallel skewers per kebab to ensure that the fish doesn’t spin around a skewer when you are turning the kebabs.

Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan. Brush the kebabs with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Grill the kebabs, turning once, until the fish is opaque but not dry, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Pour the almond sauce into a medium skillet and gently heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve the sauce with the kebabs.