My Love of Marinating Meats

There’s something about the process of marinating meat and fish that appeals to me, although I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It certainly isn't the waiting. I’m a very impatient person, especially when it comes to food. But, its like this, chicken breast is great, but it’s even greater when it’s been sat in an bath of salty soy and nutty sesame oil, with a few chillies, some garlic and ginger thrown in. Oh, and a dash of fish sauce, and maybe some coriander. You get the point. Perhaps it’s the sheer simplicity of it. Yes, it takes time to sit, but it’s as simple as throwing everything together in a bowl and letting it hang out in the fridge for an hour or so, and you end up with this amazing depth of flavour that is impossible to create without letting the flavours mingle together. Take lamb for instance, delicious with mint sauce. Even more delicious marinated in red wine with garlic, rosemary and thyme then threaded onto skewers with thick wedges of red onion and barbecued to perfection. Yes I did just say barbecue in February!

The point I’m trying to make is simple, if you marinate your meat it will taste better. There is nothing quite like smothering a decent cut of meat in butter infused with garlic and herbs and layering lemon slices over the top. It’s like an explosion of harmonious tastes in your mouth. And, when you really start to think about marinating your food you’ll realise the flavour combinations are endless. 

Don’t know where to start? Here’s a little piece of advice, if you think it will work, it most probably will. Remember these basic foundations and you can’t go wrong:

• Oil
• Acid
• Seasoning

Basically, it’s about taking great flavours that compliment each other and having some fun creating new recipes. Remember to season your marinade well, and taste it (before you put the raw meat in it). The consistency should be fairly thin in order to coat all of the meat, here’s a few of my ideas:

• Garlic, white wine (or olive oil), lemon and thyme – perfect for chicken
• Soy, garlic, ginger and lime – great with fish
• Garlic, red wine, rosemary and thyme –delicious with lamb or beef
• Extra virgin olive oil, chilli, garlic and basil – for perfect spicy prawns

Butter marinades are also fantastic and easy to rustle up. Place a large dollop of softened butter in a bowl, add chopped herbs, garlic, lemon zest and maybe even some chopped anchovies, season with salt and pepper and rub over your meat, cook as normal. Butter marinades work best when pushed under the skin of meats, they make the meat so tender and moist you won't believe it.

Time - Marinating times vary depending upon the size and cut of meat, or indeed fish. For diced meats an hour is fine, for larger cuts of meat you may find 3-4 hours best. Fish will take slightly less time than diced meats. But, if you don’t have an hour to wait, make sure marinating is the first job you do, even if the meat gets half an hour in a pool of flavour it’s going to taste better than before.

Safety - Always leave meats to marinate in the fridge. When the temperature rises bacteria can develop. And, do not reuse marinade that has been in contact with raw meat; if you need extra marinade to serve retain some before marinating your meat.

Storage - Using a re-sealable plastic bag is a great way of marinating to ensure all of the meat is covered, plastic containers also work well. Avoid using metal bowls as the acid can react with the metal. 

Got an amazing marinade recipe? Comment below and share it with us...