This used to be a staple in our kitchen.  I made a new batch every few weeks and we used it on salmon, swordfish, halibut and chicken quite regularly (especially in the years when fish was a reasonable alternative to meat in terms of its price point).  And then we discovered Soy Vay.  An Asian style marinade that it widely available on the West Coast, Soy Vay became our go-to marinade for fish for many years.  Recently I’ve decided that the homemade version really is better and is worth the 2 minutes of prep time it takes to pull it together.  It’s also cheaper – if you are a budget conscious home cook.  Usually homemade things are, and this marinade is no exception.  You pay a real premium for things like marinades (my husband, the MBA, calls such things, “high profit margin items” – a term he did not invent but he certainly uses with great frequency).  If you’ve been buying store bought marinades, you might want to give this one a shot.  It gives the fish or chicken a lovely shiny glaze, and oh does it ever taste great!

Asian Marinade

• 1 ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup honey
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup Mirin (available in the Asian food section of most grocery stores)
• 2 green onions, finely chopped, white parts only
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan.  Cook on medium heat for 40 minutes.  Cool and refrigerate.  It will keep in the fridge for a number of weeks.

When you are ready to prepare fish, either brush it on the fish and then grill, OR place the marinade in a dish and set the fish in the marinade.  Don’t leave the fish much longer than an hour.  The marinade is strong stuff and it will begin to cook the fish if you leave it on for too long.

Share