The BEST Marinade for Grilling Season

This is my absolute favorite summer marinade for grilling steak, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables. Whether you are using an outdoor grill or just cooking over a grill pan on the stove, this marinade packs a ton of flavor into meat and veggies. This recipe is a family classic that was originally developed by my dad, but I’ve tweaked it a little over time to make it the perfect combination of flavors to work for every recipe.

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Marinades serve several important purposes. First, they infuse tons flavor into the meat and vegetables giving them a wonderful depth of delicious tastes. Second, the acidic ingredients in the marinade like vinegar and citrus help break down the proteins in the meat which makes the meat extra tender and juicy. Lastly, marinating foods before grilling also helps to get those incredible caramalized bits on the outside of your food that just makes everything taste so much better than when it is cooked in the oven.

What you will need for the marinade

Olive oil: olive oil is the base for this marinade so you want to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Look for an EVOO that is produced all in one location (like Italy, Spain, California) so you have a single source of olives which usually makes for a higher quality oil.

Lime juice: the citrus juice from the lime gives a beautiful brightness to this marinade. You could substitute lemon if you were in a pinch but the flavors won't blend as well as the lime does.

Cilantro: this flavorful herb adds a nice kick to the grilled meat and vegetables without being overpowering. If you don't like cilantro you could substitute fresh parsley instead.

Coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce: the salty acidity of the aminos or soy suace gives wonderful flavor to this marinade and really helps to tenderize the meat.

Minced garlic: what would be a marinade without some garlic? The garlic cooks down so beautifully once the meat or veggies are cooked and adds that wonderful, sweet, earhty flavor to the dish.

Fresh ginger: the ginger compliments the other flavors in this marinade so well and adds another bright flavor to the mix.

Spices: an assortment of dried herbs and spices like thyme, black pepper, and onion powder round out this marinade to increase the dpeth of flavors. This is also an area where you could get creative and test out differernt spices to see what other flavors would work well.

The BEST Marinade for Grilling Season

This delicious marinade is easy to throw together and works perfectly for grilled meats and vegetables. Try it with steak tips, chicken thighs, or peppers an onions for a wonderful, summer meal.

Preparation Time and Servings

• Prep Time: 5-10 mins

• Marinade Time: 1 hour to 24 hours (overnight is best)

• Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins to 24 hours and 10 mins

• Yield: 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Ingredients

To make the BEST marinade for grilling season, gather the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce (I get the Thirve Market Coconut Aminos)

• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic

• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• Salt to taste, if necessary (some soy sauces are so salty you won't need any)

• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder)

Directions

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together and whisk well.

   
   

2. Place your preferred protein, like chicken or steak, or your choice of vegetables in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag (if you are using both meat and vegetables put them in separate bags or containers to keep the raw meat separate). Pour the marinade over your food, ensuring that everything is evenly coated.

   
   

3. Place the meat or vegetabls in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour. For even better flavor, prepare the marinade the night before and let everything soak overnight in the refrigerator. This marinade is best if the food gets 24 hours of marinating before it's time to cook. Flip the food that is marinating once or twice throughout the time it is in the fridge so that the bottom becomes the top and the food marinates more evenly.

   
   

4. Once you are ready to cook, take the meat or vegetables out of the marinade and let any drippings dry off a little before placing them on the grill. For the best grilling results you want the marinated items to be moist but not dripping wet. Cook until done and enjoy!

   
   

Notes:

• This marinade works great for so many different foods. It is perfect for grilling steak for fajitas, chicken thighs, shrimp, or grilled vegetables like peppers, onions, zucchini, and mushrooms.

• While this marinade is perfect for grilling it works great for cooking on a cast iron skillet or grill pan as well.

  
  

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