It’s one of the most elemental cooking techniques: impaling food on a skewer or a stick and cooking it over an open fire.

With iterations found throughout the world — the kebabs of the Middle East, the anticuchos of South America, the yakitori of Japan and the suya of Nigeria, to name a few — grilling food on skewers is a widespread practice that’s as richly diverse as it is satisfying.

As any distracted s’mores maker who has incinerated a marshmallow knows, it can also be one of the trickiest activities to do well. Now is the perfect time to run through some of its finer points.

Make Marinating a Goal

Many of the world’s great skewered dishes call for a pungent marinade, like lemongrass-laced Thai satay or oniony Russian shashlik. Marinating

helps season them thoroughly, adding loads of flavor.

You can marinate your ingredients a few hours ahead or the day before, which makes things go very quickly when you’re ready to grill — a boon for entertaining. But even on a weeknight, a quick stint in a heady marinade can do wonders.

When you’re pressed for time, start marinating your ingredients while your grill heats up. As little as 10 minutes can make a difference.

If you don’t want to marinate, sprinkle everything with salt and a slick of oil to keep things from sticking.

Turn and Serve

It’s important to note that the closer the skewers are to the heat, the more you need to turn them to make sure they cook evenly.

This is where your skewer handles are important — the larger they are, the easier they are to grasp. Grilling gloves can help you maneuver things safely.

Once you’re ready to serve, you’ll want to remove the food from the skewers.

While you could use a fork, a soft piece of flatbread adds flair — and makes a tasty cook’s treat.

Fish Skewers With Herbs And Lime

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, pressed or minced

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 pound thick, dense fish steaks, such as tuna or swordfish, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

• Lime wedges, for serving

• 2 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup chopped dill, mint, parsley and cilantro, or a combination

Directions:

Heat the grill to high. In a mixing bowl, combine garlic, fish sauce and red pepper flakes. Whisk in oil. Add fish cubes and gently toss to evenly coat. Let marinate while the grill heats up.

Thread marinated fish onto metal or presoaked bamboo skewers (see tip), pushing them up so they touch. This keeps them from overcooking.

When the grill is hot, lightly brush the grates with oil and add the skewers.

Cook the fish until slightly charred in places, about 2-4 minutes, rotating the pieces carefully halfway through.

Transfer to a serving platter, and immediately squeeze two or three lime wedges on top of the fish while still hot.

Garnish fish with scallions and herbs, and serve with more lime wedges on the side.

Total time: 20 minutes, plus grill heating; serves 4.

Tip:

If using bamboo skewers, they must be soaked in water for at least

30 minutes before grilling to prevent flare-ups. Place bamboo skewers flat on a rimmed sheet pan and add enough water to cover.