Asian orange marinade
- Preparation 10 min
- Servings 1 ½ cups (375 ml)
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🍊 The izakaya marinade that goes on everything
Orange, soy sauce, honey, ginger, sesame and a touch of lime: this izakaya-inspired marinade is so good you’ll want to put it on everything. It balances the sweetness of honey, the saltiness of soy, the tang of citrus and the aroma of toasted sesame to turn any cut of meat into a restaurant-worthy dish. No cooking, no complicated ingredients: just a bowl, a whisk and 10 minutes.
🥩 Duck, steak, pork, chicken
This is the marinade I use in my recipe for grilled orange duck breasts, but it’s way too good to stop there. The same recipe works beautifully on steak, pork chops, chicken breasts and even tofu or salmon. Make it once, adapt it to whatever protein you have on hand, and the result is always grilled, glazed and full of flavour.
⏱️ 10 minutes, zero cooking
No pot, no reduction needed. You mix everything in a bowl, set aside a portion to baste with at serving time, pour the rest over your meat and let the magic happen in the fridge. The next day, all you have to do is grill. That’s the definition of a recipe that works for you while you’re busy doing something else.
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🍊 Always set aside a portion before marinating
Put aside ¼ of the marinade BEFORE pouring it over the raw meat. This clean portion is used to baste the meat at serving time. Never reuse marinade that has touched raw meat without boiling it first. It’s a food safety issue. The habit of “reserve first” solves the problem right at the source.
🥩 The right marinating time for each meat
Count 12 to 24 hours for duck, a strongly flavoured meat that benefits from a long marinade. For beef and pork, aim for about 6 hours, and about 4 hours for chicken. Fish and tofu, being more delicate, should not exceed 2 hours, otherwise the acidity of the citrus starts to “cook” the flesh.
🧊 Take the reserved marinade out 1 hour before serving
If you’re keeping a portion to baste the meat at serving time, take it out of the fridge about 1 hour in advance. Ice-cold marinade poured over freshly grilled hot meat cools down the dish and breaks the texture. At room temperature, it coats better and keeps the meat nice and warm.
🌶️ A touch of heat, optionally
To kick up the marinade, add 1 tsp (5 ml) of sriracha. It wakes up the citrus and the sweetness of the honey without throwing off the Asian profile. Adjust to your tolerance. It’s easy to dose.
🍯 Whisk well to dissolve the honey
Honey tends to sink to the bottom and stick. Whisk the marinade vigorously until it’s completely incorporated, otherwise it stays at the bottom of the bowl instead of coating the meat. A well-emulsified marinade clings better to the flesh.
🫙 Storage
The marinade keeps for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Make it the day before or at the start of the week to have a homemade marinade ready to go whenever the urge for a grilled dinner strikes.
✅ What to use my asian orange marinade on?
It shines on my Grilled duck breasts with orange, but also on steak, pork chops or chicken. To stay in the Asian spirit, take inspiration from my Teriyaki beef flank skewers or my Maple Teriyaki salmon. Serve the grilled meat over sesame noodles with sautéed bok choy for a complete meal.
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For the marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) white wine
- ¼ cup (60 ml) honey
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) mirin
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- The juice and zest of 2 large oranges
- The juice and zest of 1 lime
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Preparation
- In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, white wine, honey, mirin, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, the juice and zest of both oranges, and the juice and zest of the lime, until the honey is fully dissolved.
- Set aside ¼ of the marinade in the refrigerator to baste the meat at serving time, then pour the rest over your protein of choice in an airtight container and refrigerate for the recommended time for each meat (see the tips) before grilling.
On just about anything that goes on the grill. It’s perfect on duck, steak, pork chops and chicken, but also works on tofu, salmon and shrimp. The sweet-salty orange profile adapts just as well to rich meats as it does to more delicate proteins. Simply adjust the marinating time based on the density of the flesh.
Count 12 to 24 hours for duck, a strongly flavoured meat that benefits from a long marinade. For beef and pork, about 6 hours is enough, and about 4 hours for chicken. Fish and tofu, being more delicate, should not exceed 2 hours, as the acidity of the citrus will eventually “cook” the flesh.
No, not as is. Marinade that has been in contact with raw meat contains bacteria and should never be served raw. That’s why you always set aside a clean portion BEFORE marinating. If you absolutely want to use the rest, bring it to a boil for at least 5 minutes to make it safe.
Up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I do not suggest freezing it. The best approach is to make it ahead and keep it in the fridge, ready to coat your protein of choice whenever the craving for a grilled dinner hits.
Over sesame noodles with sautéed bok choy, for a complete Asian-inspired meal. Try the marinade on my grilled duck breasts with orange or take inspiration from my teriyaki beef flank skewers for a grilled dinner.
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