Marinades can be made with olive oil or salad oil. You can use any of the different types of vinegar, or any white or red wine. There are also dozens of different herbs and spices, fresh or dried, to season a marinade to your personal taste.
If you have a very large amount of food to marinate, you may want to double or triple the amounts of the ingredients in the recipes below.
Basic Marinade: Use 2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, 1 minced onion or 1 crushed garlic clove, and sea salt, pepper, herbs and spices to taste. Following this rule, you can make many variations for specific foods.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons salad oil
3 tablespoons vinegar
6 parsley sprigs, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
Few green onions, chopped
Combine the ingredients and place in a shallow dish. Add fish fillets, fish steaks or whole fish. Makes about 3/4 cup.
Ingredients:
2 cups beer
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 medium-size onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, halved
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Mix ingredients and add to shrimp. Marinate in refrigerator 1 to 3 hours. Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sweet vermouth, red wine or lime juice
1 thick onion slice
10 juniper berries, crushed
Handful of parsley
1/2 teaspoon aniseeds
Mix, pour over the pieces of duck or game and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours. Makes 3/4 cup.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh mint
Bring water and cider vinegar to a boil. Add honey and stir until dissolved. Remove this mixture from heat and stir in the fresh mint. Marinate lamb to be broiled or barbecued for 4 to 6 hours. Use the marinade for basting while the lamb is cooking. Makes about 2 cups.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup wine or cider vinegar
2/3 cup salad oil
1/4 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried herb of your choice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Place mixture in a bottle, shake well and pour over cooked vegetables. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Drain vegetables before serving. Makes about 1 cup.
Variations: Any of the liquid marinades can be varied by adding or substituting different ingredients. For example, add any of the following:
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon capers
1 fresh tomato, peeled and diced
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
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