When you really want to have a simple yet flavourful meal, try marinating your food before grilling or lightly frying them. There are health benefits to it too!
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Marinades typically consist of an acidic ingredient like vinegar, lemon juice, wine or yogurt, plus oil and spices. The acidic ingredient softens the food, allowing it to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Marinating works on all kinds of meat, as well as fish, tofu and vegetables. What’s great about marinating food is that it cooks quickly, and it’s not too greasy. Grilling your food is way healthier than frying it by the way. You can either follow recipes or experiment with whatever ingredients you have on hand.
Poultry Marinade
You can marinate an entire chicken or chicken parts. Piercing the chicken with a fork, or cutting it into smaller pieces will help it absorb marinade. Removing the skin from the chicken will help it absorb marinade better. In general, two hours of marinating is long enough for the meat to soak up the flavor, but poultry can marinate for up to two days in the refrigerator. Do remember though, that very acidic marinades can actually toughen the meat over time.
Beef Marinade
Marinating is best suited for the tougher steak cuts like flank, skirt, sirloin, round and hanger. These cuts can usually marinate up to 24 hours. You can actually ruin better-quality steaks, like porterhouse or rib-eye, by marinating them.
Fish Marinade
Fish and shellfish should marinate for only 30 minutes to an hour; any longer and the flesh might start to “cook” and go mushy.
Marinade Dos and Don’ts
• DO think ahead: If possible, start marinating meat the night before, or in the morning before you leave for work.
• DO marinate food in the refrigerator, rather than at room temperature.
• DO marinate in re-sealable plastic bags, rather than in bowls or other containers. They cut down on cleanup and allow you to evenly distribute the marinade. But you can marinate in plastic, stainless steel or glass containers too.
• DO cover containers containing marinating meats
• DON’T use marinade from raw meat or fish as a sauce unless it’s boiled first for several minutes. It contains bacteria from the raw meat.
• DON’T reuse leftover marinade for other food.
• DON’T marinate in aluminum containers or foil, because a chemical reaction could spoil the food.
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Lemon and Rosemary marinade
This marinade works really well on chicken and pork. The refreshing combination of lemon and rosemary really brightens things up.
INGREDIENTS
• 3 large lemons
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary (2 tablespoons dried rosemary)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black or white pepper
PREPARATION
Cut lemons in half and squeeze out the juice into a medium plastic or glass bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Marinate chicken or pork for 1-2 hours in the mixture. The mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you use normal limes available in the market, use the juice of 6-8 limes and add a teaspoon of honey.
*Makes about 1 cup of marinade
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The ultimate fish marinade
This flavorful marinade is perfect for fish. The low acid level will not cook the fish before it hits the grill so fish can sit in the marinade longer and take on more flavor. The combination of soy sauce and brown sugar gives it a Teriyaki flavor and aids in caramelizing the surface of the fish.
INGREDIENTS
• 120 mL dry white wine
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients in a glass container. Ideally, this marinade should be made a few days in advance to allow the flavors to marry. To use, place fish of choice in a resealable plastic bag, pour marinade over, making sure to cover all of the flesh. seal bag and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
*Makes about 1 3/4 cups
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Jamaican Jerk marinade
This marinade gets that great flavor deep into the meat. This recipe works well on any meat and most vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup spring onion greens, finely chopped
• 1 capsicum, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• Dash hot sauce (optional)
PREPARATION
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Depending on size of blender, this process might need to be done in batches. Use right away or if making ahead, simply store in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
For chicken, marinate 2-4 hours. For pork marinate for 2-8 hours.
*Makes about 1 cup
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Spicy peanut marinade
This marinade is similar to an Asian Satay dipping sauce. With this sauce, you will get loads of flavor that works well on any meat.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
• 120 mL sherry, dry
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, dark
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup ginger, crushed
• 1/4 cup green onion, minced
• 1/4 cup coriander, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, dark
• 2 tablespoons Chinese chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 6 garlic cloves
PREPARATION
Combine everything in food processor and mix. Marinade pork for up to 8 hours. Remove the chops from the marinade and simmer the marinade over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Grill the chops and use the marinade as mop while grilling.
*Makes about 750 mL
