Marinades For Fish | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures - The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures

TIP OF THE DAY: Summer Marinades For Fish

June 20, 2016 at 8:44 am · Filed under Fish-Seafood-Caviar, Meat & Poultry, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

Grilled Fish In Grill Pan

Grilled Fish Fillets
Top and Center: Fish, especially fillets, is delicate and thus easier to break and fall through the grates, unlike meats. The solution: a grill basket or grill pan, like these from Williams-Sonoma. Bottom: A different type of grilling basket from Sur La Table.

Summer begins today, officially at 6:34 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It’s the day when the sun reaches its northernmost point over the equator, the highest point of the year, the longest day of the year with the most hours of sunlight.

Just as most of us switch to heartier fare in the fall and winter, summer warmth is an incentive to eat more lightly.

Iced coffee and tea instead of hot.

Fruit salad and fruit soups.

Summer fruits—berries and melons—instead of the citrus and apples of winter.

Fruit salad and fruit soups.

Corn on the cob and grilled vegetables.

Gazpacho and other chilled soups instead of hot soup.

Grilling instead of frying and roasting.

Macaroni and potato salad sides.

White wine and sangria.

Saison summer ales and wheat beers, lambics and ciders instead of IPAs, porters, stouts and Trappist ales.

More fish.

You can “summerize” anything, from ice cream flavors to your vegetables.

And your marinades!

Marinades are the easiest way to add flavor to foods, and to make chewier foods more tender. Mix a few simple ingredients, place them in a plastic storage bag and marinate the food overnight, turning it once or twice.

No time? Use a FoodSaver Quick Marinator and your food will be ready to grill in 30 minutes or less.

RECIPE #1: LEMON OR LIME MARINADE FOR FISH

With this classic marinade, be sure to use fresh herbs instead of dried: The prices are lower in summer.

Ingredients

Juice from 2 lemons

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2. POUR the mixture into the bag or marinator or bag, marinate, and cook as desired.

RECIPE #2: SPICY ASIAN MARINADE FOR FISH

This fragrant and spicy marinade goes well with heartier fish, such as swordfish, salmon or halibut.

Ingredients

1 bunch parsley

6 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

1 bunch cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon red pepper, crushed

1 tablespoon cumin, ground

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation

1. PLACE the parsley, garlic and cilantro in a small saucepan. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir well and heat the mixture for 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not bring to a boil.

2. REMOVE the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool before using.

RECIPE #3: ORANGE HONEY MARINADE

The citrus notes of orange and the sweetness of the honey enhance the natural flavor of salt water fish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Preparation

1. MIX together the orange juice, honey, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and ginger.

2. COAT the fish in the marinade and leave for 30 minutes if using the FoodSaver Quick Marinator, or 1 hour or more if using a bag.

RECIPE #4: SPICED YOGURT MARINADE

This Indian marinade is bursting with flavorful spices and yogurt, a natural tenderizer. When cooked, this marinade will be a light, flaky texture.

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon coriander, ground

1 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste

2 inches ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced and crushed

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Top: Grilled salmon atop a Greek Salad is a real crowd-pleaser (photo courtesy Tio Gazpacho). Bottom: Grilled branzino with a head of grilled garlic (photo courtesy Olio Restaurant | NYC).