Cuisine: Marinade

Firecracker Salmon

This sweet and spicy Firecracker salmon is delicious. The salmon fillets are marinated in soy sauce, hot sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. You can tone down the hot sauce if you don’t want it too spicy. The salmon is then seared in a pan on both sides until cooked through and crispy. Serve with rice and stir-fried vegetables for an easy weeknight meal.

By Leslie Blythe

Spiedie Marinade for Chicken

I've always been keenly interested in regional food in the US, especially when it really doesn't leave a region. This Spiedie Marinade for Chicken is a perfect example. I was recently on the east coast and happened to find this marinade at Wegman's (the best damn supermarket in the whole country!).

Spiedie Pronounced "spee-dee," is a type of grilled chicken dish that originated in Upstate New York. They are typically made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs that are marinated in a mixture of olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and spices. The chicken is then grilled over high heat until cooked through.

The key to a good spiedie marinade is to use a variety of flavors that complement each other. The olive oil helps to tenderize the chicken, while the vinegar and lemon juice add acidity and brightness. The garlic, herbs, and spices add depth and complexity of flavor.

It’s typically served in a small sub roll...the Spiedie Sandwich! You can also use this marinade on steaks, pork chops, lamb, fish, and even mushrooms.

You can read about the complicated and controversial history of the Spiedie here.

By Leslie Blythe

Basic Bulgogi

We were invited to our friends Kim and Scott's house in Pacific Palisades for dinner on Saturday night. Their home sits at 1,500 feet overlooking the Pacific ocean on a clear day. The had a Lodge Hibachi grill on a table outside. It was magical! They cooked this Basic Bulgogli marinade beef, which was probably some of the best I have ever had. The marinade is out of this world good. I don't even like Korean food. I will be making this very soon, though the setting at our house is missing a lot of the magic! What's better than sharing a meal with great friends under the stars? Nothing! Oh, and one looks a tad younger among the glowing fire at night! The meal was topped off with gourmet chocolate (that's a whole other blog post!) S'mores. What a great evening!

Bulgogi, literally "fire meat", is a gui (Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of beef or pork grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle. It is also often stir-fried in a pan in home cooking. Sirloin, rib eye or brisket are frequently used cuts of beef for the dish.

By Leslie Blythe

Lemony Honey Mustard Marinade for Grilled Chicken

This Lemony Honey Mustard Marinade for Grilled Chicken is my new favorite marinade. I will be making this all summer. It's super simple and makes the chicken moist and tender and packed with flavor. The chicken can be cooked on the grill or on a stove-top grill pan if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

By Leslie Blythe

Vegetable Kabobs for the Grill

Now that summer is approaching, it's time to pull out the grill. These Vegetable Kabobs for the Grill are marinated in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and fresh herbs.

By Leslie Blythe

Mustard-Vinegar Marinade – For Pork or Chicken

This Mustard-Vinegar Marinade is a quick and simple. It tenderizes the meat and adds flavor. It works really well on pork or chicken.

By Leslie Blythe

Japanese Beef Marinade

This easy Japanese Beef Marinade uses miso paste, which is made from soy, barley and rice, and has a strong, savory umami taste. I always have miso paste in my refrigerator.

By Leslie Blythe

Marinade for Beef

This Marinade for Beef is really good. Marinades do two basic things to meat: they tenderize and enhance flavor. The acid in the marinade helps to break down the connective tissue and adds even more fabulous flavor.

By Leslie Blythe

Pork Chops with Yuzu-Miso Marinade

These Pork Chops with Yuzu-Miso Marinade are perfect for the grill. The marinade is made with a combination of miso, sake, mirin, yuzu kosho, scallions, and sesame oil, which gives the pork chops a rich and complex flavor. The yuzu kosho adds a bit of heat and brightness, while the miso and sake give the pork chops a deep umami flavor. My guests went crazy for these.

By Leslie Blythe

Bourbon Marinated Flank Steak

Flank steak is one of our favorite meats to grill. This one is marinated in bourbon. It was a huge success and we will be adding this to our repertoire. The other wonderful marinade is my brother-in-law, Russell's Flank Steak, which is also a big crowd pleaser.

By Leslie Blythe