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Lemon Curry Marinade for Steak Kababs

June 2, 2021 By Lea Ann Brown 25 Comments

These steak kababs start with a lively curry marinade that includes lemon juice. The end result is an incredibly flavored grilled beef kabab recipe for your Summer menu lineup. An easy recipe that your family will love and devour.

This recipe was first published June of 2012 and republished June 2021 with step by step photos.

What You Can Expect From This Recipe

To start with, this steak kababs recipe with curry marinade is one I’ve had for over 30 years and make routinely during the Summer. It’s my go-to steak recipe.

At one time I had about 5 different beef kabab recipes in my database. This one won out as simply the best of the best, and the imposters have been deleted.

I’m always confused on whether we kabob, kebob or k-bob. Most of the time I safely skewer, as to not commit a culinary faux pas. Consulting dictionary.com, kabob seems to be the norm.

However we spell it, everyone loves “small pieces of meat or seafood seasoned or marinated and broiled, often with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, or other vegetables, usually on a skewer”.

These steak kebabs are so easy to make. So easy it was one of our regulars on our Colorado camping trips menu … back in the day.

It’s also a regular for our weeknight meals at home. It’s simply delicious. And a no-fuss recipe.

The marinade is a happy combination of peppercorns, bay leaves, lemon juice, garlic and curry, which infuses luscious flavor into the beef.

And allowing a generous amount of marinating time insures maximum flavor and a tender chunk of steak.

There’s also the visual side of these skewers. Bright orange peppers, dark glossy cubes of beef separated by fresh green sticks of fragrant green onion bulbs.

Let’s take a look.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Curry Marinade

Curry Powder: There are so many curry spices and pastes to choose from. For this recipe I’ve used plain old run of the mill grocery store bottled curry spice.
Black Peppercorns
Bay Leaves
Chopped Garlic
Olive Oil: Using olive oil helps draw flavors out of some ingredients like garlic. The garlic flavor will be more prominent in the steak flavor.
Beef Broth
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice, an acid, helps break down raw meat allowing the flavors of the spices to penetrate flavor into the beef.

Ingredients for Steak Kababs

Sirloin Steak: Cut into large bite-sized chunks
Green Onions: White tops only
Orange Bell Pepper seeded and large veins removed: Cut into squares to equal the size of the beef.

Recipe Swaps and Substitutions

Steak: Sirloin steak is such a great choice for beef kababs. It’s lean, tender, beefy in flavor and juicy. A good substitution would be a rib-eye steak or New York Steak. However, they’re both pricier.
Bell Pepper: I like orange bell pepper for this recipe. Simply because of the brilliant color. Feel free to substitute red, yellow or green bell pepper.
Onion: It’s fun to skewer those little bulbs of green onions for a different look and feel. They’ve got less bite in their flavor, and their appearance when grilled reminds me of grilled Mexican knob onions. If you want, substitute sweet or red onion here, cut into flat pieces to match the bell pepper. If using sweet onions, place to planks together on the skewers.
Curry Powder: it would be fun to experiment with any exotic curry paste for this recipe. Some will pack some heat, so be careful with the amount you add.

Step by Step Instructions

This is such an easy recipe, you’ll glide right through these instructions.

how to make steak kebabs. Placing steak and marinade ingredients in a zip lock bag

Step 1: Place all marinade ingredients into a gallon plastic bag. Add the cubed steak. Seal the bag pressing out the air, and squish around with your hands to mix and blend. Refrigerate the beef and marinade overnight.

Metal skewers with sirloin steak chunks, orange bell pepper and green onion

Step 2: Remove the steak from the marinade, reserving ¼ cup of the marinade liquid. Heat grill to 500 degrees, then turn down to 350 degrees. Grill kabobs for about 4 – 5 minutes per side, basting with reserved marinade.

Variations:

This curry marinade would be an excellent choice for Chicken Kabobs.

Pro Tips and Tricks

Cutting Steak for Kebabs: Cut steak cubes as uniform in size as possible and to match the size of the vegetables. This will insure even cooking. You don’t want uncooked vegetables or steak that was so large it didn’t cook through.
Baste that steak: Reserve ¼ cup of the beef kabab marinade. Use a silicone brush to baste the steak kebabs during grilling. This will keep the steak more tender and juicy than ever.
Preparing bell pepper for kabobs: When preparing the bell pepper, remove the seeds and cut away the large veins. You'll have a cleaner bell pepper flavor.
This marinade will work well for any lean steak cut. Try it for this Merlot Steak cut.

FAQ’s

How Long Do I Marinade Steaks for Kebabs?

Try to marinate these beef kabob for the time recommended, 24 hours, but no longer, as the steak can become mushy, If you need a quick fix, marinade for at least 3 hours.

Can I Use Wood Skewers?

Yes, just make sure you soak them in water for 2 hours to prevent them from burning on the grill.

Are metal skewers better than wood skewers?

I have two sets of metal skewers which I prefer over the wooden skewers. Simply because they’re flat which means the beef doesn’t spin around when I turn the kabobs on the grill. Plus I don’t have to remember to soak them like wooden skewers.

Can I Use Other Vegetables?

Yes, but be careful. You’ll want sturdy veggies that will cook in the same amount of time as the beef. Example: avoid zucchini. It’s a soft vegetable and will cook too fast. As will tomatoes. Mushrooms will work, as long as kept whole. If you’re wanting to provide more variety of veggies, I prefer to cook those on separate skewers from the beef. I’d stick with the onions and peppers for this recipe. Save the more delicate vegetables for chicken or fish kabobs.

Steak Kabobs with Curry Marinade

You’re going to love this curry marinade for steak kabobs. Not only easy weeknight meals, but also for entertaining. So easy to easy and easy on the palate, they’ll go quick, so you might want to make a double batch.

Sirloin steak beef kabobs with orange bell peppers and green onions

These kabobs are a meal in themselves, but if you’re looking for more side dish recipes check out these below. Or take a look at my side dish category for even more suggestions.

Feeling kabob crazy?

And if you love a good steak recipe, you won’t want to miss this one for our favorite flank steak. Grilled Flank Steak with Horseradish Cream Sauce. One of the first flank steak recipes I ever made and it remains our favorite. Check it out, along with my Beef Recipes Category.

And if you’ve been curious about cooking with Bison, take a look at my Pan Seared Bison Steak Recipe. It’s easy enough for the beginner cook, clever enough for the adventurous and elegant enough for entertaining.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Steak Kabobs with Lemon Curry Marinade

These steak kabobs start with a lively beef kabab marinade that includes lemon juice and curry powder. The end result is an incredibly flavored grilled steak recipe for your Summer menu lineup. An easy recipe that your family will love and devour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

overnight marinade1

Course: Main Course Beef

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 520kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Equipment

Metal Skewers
Gallon Sealable Plastic Bag

Ingredients

½ pound Top Sirloin Steak cubed
⅓ cup olive oil or vegetable oil
¼ cup beef broth
¼ cup lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 leaves bay
8 whole peppercorns
1 orange bell pepper cubed
6 green onions green ends cut

Instructions

Cut beef into good sized, bite-sized pieces.
In a large plastic zip lock bag, place beef and all of the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag, pushing out the air and then squish good with your hands to mix ingredients. Let set overnight in the refrigerator. Reserve ¼ cup marinade to baste while cooking.
Slice bell peppers to match the size of the beef and cut off the green tips of the white onions.
Remove beef from marinade. Skewer beef, peppers and onion and grill 4 – 5 minutes, turning and basting with reserved marinade until beef is done.

Notes

Tips for Success:

Cut steak cubes as uniform in size as possible. That will insure even cooking.
If using wooden skewers make sure you soak them in water for 2 hours to prevent them from burning on the grill.
When preparing the bell pepper, remove the seeds and cut away the large veins. You’ll have a cleaner bell pepper flavor.
Try to marinate these beef kabob for the time recommended, 24 hours. If you need a quick fix, marinade for at least 3 hours.

Nutrition

If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.

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Sirloin Steak Kebabs with Lemon Curry Marinade …It’s What’s for Dinner.

Roasted Shrimp White Bean Salad

May 31, 2021 By Lea Ann Brown 50 Comments

This oven roasted Shrimp White Bean Salad is a happy little light no-fuss Summer dinner. And it’s ready in about 30 minutes! Tossing tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and white beans in a light citrus vinaigrette, makes a lively base for chopped avocado and chipotle roasted shrimp.

Roasted Shrimp Salad with avocado and canned white beans.Served with a wedge of lime in a white bowl

About This Recipe and Why It Works

With warmer days, singing birds and blooming tulips, I found myself jotting down ingredients I needed for an easy roasted shrimp and avocado salad.

A quick fuss-free white bean avocado salad that we could enjoy on the patio for a light lazy Summer meal.

Chipotle chile powder seasoned oven roasted shrimp is a simple process, ready in just a few minutes.

The cooked shrimp are then tossed with white beans, chunks of creamy avocado, tomato, cucumber and diced red onion that have been tossed in a citrus vinaigrette.

The result is creamy in texture with cannellini beans and avocado, balanced with a crunch from the fresh cucumbers and red onion.

A little bite of sweet and tart from the fresh tomatoes.

It all comes together, simply dressed with olive oil, lime juice and some red pepper flakes, this is a delightful guilt-free light meal.

Keep this recipe in your back pocket for one of those hot Summer days when you’re in the mood for a fresh and easy dinner.

Pour yourself a crisp cold glass of Prosecco, or iced tea and dig in. It’s simply delightful.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for shrimp and avocado salad recipe

Cilantro, chopped
Shrimp or Prawns, peeled, deveined and tails removed
Canned Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Avocado, 1 avocado, sliced or chopped
Olive oil, choose a good quality olive oil for optimum flavor for the citrus vinaigrette.
Lime juice, about 2 limes to make 2 tablespoons for the vinaigrette.
Chipotle Chile Powder
Orange Juice, purchased orange juice is fine. But you can fresh squeeze if you’d like. You’ll need one juicy orange.
Chopped cucumber, about ½ cucumber, peeled and chopped. Make this a shrimp avocado cucumber salad, it’s a natural pairing for this combo of ingredients.
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh tomatoes, or halved grape tomatoes. I really like using Cherub grape tomatoes for this recipe, because they’re firm and easy to slice using a serrated knife. Plus sweet and flavorful.

Ingredients Swaps and Substitutions

Cilantro: Not everyone likes cilantro. Simply omit it from the recipe. If you’re thinking about substituting chopped parsley, please feel free. Use sparingly however, because the flavor profile will change and the parsley may overwhelm and compromise the fresh light flavor.
Cannellini Beans: Any canned white beans will work for this recipe. Great Northern beans will work, and even big luscious Butter Beans would make an adventurous selection.
Chipotle Chile Powder: If you don’t have Chipotle chile powder, substitute with Ancho Chile Powder, Alleppo Pepper, or New Mexico Red Chile powder. You’ll still get the wisp of heat, but you’ll lose the smoky flavor that Chipotle Chile Powder brings to the party.
Red Onion: Use a sweet or yellow onion if you’re out of red onion. Red onion brings a strong bite to the overall flavor of this shrimp and avocado salad, and a sweet or yellow onion will present a milder flavor,
Shrimp: I’ve made this salad with both shrimp or spot prawns. Avocado Prawn Salad is a beautiful variation.

Step by Step Instructions

Shrimp in a bowl tossed with olive oil and chipotle chile powder — Step 1

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel devein and remove tails from shrimp or prawns. Place shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, chipotle chile powder and olive oil. Toss to coat. Tongs work great here.

Spot prawns tossed with chile powder on a sheet pan lined with foil — Step 2

Step 2: How to bake shrimp, (roast shrimp) its easy. Place the shrimp on a foil lined baking sheet and roast in oven until just done. Watch them closely as to not over cook. And don’t over crowd the shrimp. The photo above are spot prawns. How long to bake shrimp at 400 degrees? Only about 5 minutes.

Mixing beans and chopped vegetables for shrimp and avocado salad — Step 3

Step 3: In a bowl, add drained and rinsed Cannellini beans, cilantro, chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onions. In another bowl, whisk remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lime juice, orange juice and crushed red pepper. Pour over salad, toss to combine.

To Serve: Place a large portion of the bean salad on plates. Top with cooked shrimp and chopped avocado.

Questions You Might Have

Can I Serve This Salad As An Appetizer?

Absolutely yes. This Shrimp and Avocado salad is light enough to serve as an appetizer or as a light main course.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead of Time?

You can. Just prep everything and toss in a container you can seal and keep in the fridge. Don’t add cilantro or chopped avocado until ready to serve. I’d also let this sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before adding avocado and cilantro, so it’s not ice cold when you’re ready to serve. All ingredients will taste better without that cold chill.

How Can I Make This A More Substantial Meal?

Serve this as a taco or tostada. Heat soft corn tortillas and then fold the mixture inside, or turn this into a tostada. I like buying packages of those already cooked crisp tostada shells at the grocery. They’re great for quick dinners. Or even a healthier option, wrap a couple of big spoon fulls into a big crispy leaf of iceberg lettuce.

Can I Use Pre-Cooked Shrimp From the Store?

Yes. Make this a super easy meal by purchasing cooked and deveined shrimp from the grocery store. Let shrimp come to room temperature, remove the tails, toss them with a drizzle of oil and then a sprinkle of chipotle chile powder. Done! Note: Please purchase American wild caught shrimp from reputable companies. You’ll be very pleased with the flavor, shrimp that tastes like shrimp should taste. And a tip for purchasing prawns, I receive spot prawns in some of my shipments from Sitka Salmon Shares. They’re incredible.

Can I Double Or Triple This Recipe?

Yes, this recipe is easy to increase. Important Note: When roasting larger amounts of shrimp, you may need to do them in batches. Don’t over-crowd the shrimp on the baking sheet. Crowded shrimp will result in moisture forming where the shrimp are touching. You’ll lose some of that crispy factor.

Is This Salad Keto?

Yes, this is a keto shrimp salad. Using one can of Cannellini beans gives you two servings for around 10 carbs per serving.

Is This White Bean Avocado Salad Gluten Free?

Yes. This avocado with shrimp salad is full of fresh healthy no grain ingredients.

What size shrimp should I use for this salad?

Medium or large work best for roasting. Avoid large tiger shrimp or prawns, they’ll just overwhelm the salad and disrupt the balance of flavors.

Pro Tip: Picking An Avocado For Salad: When choosing an avocado for slicing or chopping in a salad, choose one that’s firm to the touch but not hard. If you pick an avocado that’s too soft or mushy, it will be impossible to cube or slice, plus you’ll find dark spots on the green flesh next to the skin, which will compromise the appearance of this salad. Save those for your favorite Guacamole Recipe. And don’t use a serrated knife to cut avocado. The soft flesh will show those serrated grooves. A sharp plain paring knife works best for a clean looking sliced avocado.

Roasted Shrimp White Bean Avocado Salad

Shrimp and avocado salad with white beans

I hope you give this white bean avocado salad recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

More Fresh Healthy Summer Salad Recipes

And if you’re looking for even more salad recipes, don’t miss my Salad Category. You’ll find lots of recipe ideas, including the most popular salad recipe on my site for tossed salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette.