Quick All Purpose Marinade for Proteins or Veggies
A great way to add lots of flavor to meats, veggies, or tofu. No soy sauce or sugar in this one, just a few simple ingredients that come together quickly.
or read on for step-by-step instructions with photos
Fire up the Grill!
This marinade works perfectly for grilling but can work with any other high-temperature cooking method such as broiling, pan-searing, or stir-frying.
Why? Because the high heat allows the marinade to caramelize and adhere to whatever it’s on, so every bite is perfectly seasoned and flavorful. I love using this marinade when I’m camping to elevate the flavor of chicken or veggies, and of course, the smoke from the fire makes it that much better.
When I made this most recently, which is what you see in the photos, I wanted to use up some pork shoulder and tzatziki sauce I had on hand. This marinade brought it all together, and the pork shoulder was so delicious and reminiscent of souvlaki.
What you’ll need
Ingredients
1 large shallot, finely chopped or crushed
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound (454g) protein or ½ pound (227g) vegetable of your choice
Equipment
Vessel for marinating - bowl, zip-top bag, or storage container.
Knife & cutting board - to chop your shallots and garlic but you can also use a garlic press, zester, or just crush the aromatics by hand.
Makes: enough for 1 pound (454g) protein or 1/2 pound (227g) vegetables
Prep: 5 min Marinate: 1 to 24 hours
How to make it
Step 1
Prep and mix the ingredients.
Finely chop or crush the shallots and garlic and place them in a vessel for marinating your protein or vegetables.
Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and mix it all together.
Step 2
Marinate.
Add the protein or vegetable of your choice to the marinade, mix well, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
This allows the flavor of the aromatics to sink in and the salt to season everything throughout.
You can leave it up to 24 hours if you have the time.
Step 3
Prep protein or vegetables for cooking.
For example, I skewered my marinated pork shoulder before grilling.
Skewering works great for anything that can be tougher to handle during grilling such as smaller chunks of meat, mushrooms, tofu, or shrimp.
You can skip this step though, if you’re not doing that.
Step 4
Cook with high heat.
Cook your marinated meat or vegetables. As I mentioned above, any high-heat cooking method works well.
If you have any extra marinade left in your bowl or zip-top bag, don’t throw it out! It can be used for basting during cooking.
I like to spoon on extra marinade in the last half of the cooking time to really layer on the flavor. Continue basting with every turn until you’ve used it all.
My tips
How should proteins and vegetables be cut for marinating?
Tougher cuts of meat such as pork shoulder should be cut into smaller pieces. You can marinate larger, tender pieces of meat such as chicken breast whole.
For vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower, or asparagus, cut them depending on the method of cooking. So if you’re stir-frying, cut them into bite-sized chunks. If you’re grilling or broiling, longer thicker pieces would work better.
For plant-based proteins, cut into thick slices or cubes.
Be careful with seafood - if you want to marinate seafood such as fish or shrimp, omit the acid from the recipe.
The acid will “cook” the seafood in the same way that acid is used to “cook” ceviche. It will alter the texture of the seafood and can be unpleasant once cooked. Your shrimp will get too tough and fish may get too soft.
Instead, adding a splash of acid such as lemon juice after cooking yields a much better result.
Make it ahead - marinate and freeze proteins in a zip-top bag ahead of time for an easy camping trip. By the second or third day, it should be defrosted in your cooler and ready for grilling! Click here for more of my camping recipes.
Substitutions
Oil - Any neutral or flavorful oil could work depending on what you’re going for. Some options besides olive oil are sesame, avocado, or coconut oil.
Acid - I went for apple cider vinegar for this recipe, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Lemon, lime, wine vinegar, or even balsamic could work.
Aromatics - I kept it pretty simple with shallots and garlic because they go well with everything. Other ideas could be ginger, chili, scallion, or fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary.
Spices - You’ll soon find out that I’m obsessed with smoked paprika, so yeah, that’s in here as well. Anything could work though, Cajun seasoning, chili powder, curry powder, or cumin.
Something to Marinate! - I used pork shoulder, but you can pretty much marinate anything. Meats such as chicken, lamb, or beef. Vegetables such as cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, or eggplant. Plant-based proteins such as tofu, tempeh, or seitan.
Storage
This marinade can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for several months.
Discard leftover marinade that has come into contact with raw meat if not used for basting or cooking.
Freeze marinated proteins for up to 3 months. I don’t recommend freezing marinated vegetables.
Dietary Notes: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Low-carb
That’s it, enjoy!
This recipe is a great starting point but I highly recommend you personalize it to your taste and maybe make it a little different every time.
Sometimes I’m just figuring out how to use up that last bit of thyme or pickle brine in my fridge and end up with a really delicious marinade that elevates the whole meal. You really can’t go wrong, so have fun with it!
Summary
All Purpose Marinade Recipe
This easy, healthy marinade is packed with flavor using simple ingredients. Perfect for grilling, stir-frying, or broiling any meat or veggies. Super quick to make!
Makes: enough for 1 pound (454g) protein or 1/2 pound (227g) vegetables
Prep: 5 min Marinate: 1 to 24 hours
Ingredients
1 large shallot, finely chopped or crushed
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound (454g) protein or ½ pound (227g) vegetable of your choice
Instructions
Mix ingredients. Combine all marinade components in a bowl, zip-top bag, or container.
Marinate. Add protein or vegetables to the marinade, mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 1-24 hours to let flavors infuse.
Prepare for cooking. Skewer marinated items if needed for grilling, such as smaller meat chunks, mushrooms, tofu, or shrimp. Skip if unnecessary.
Cook with high heat. Grill, stir-fry, or broil the marinated items. Use leftover marinade for basting during the last half of cooking, basting with each turn until used up.
Top Tips
Cut tough meats into smaller pieces, marinate tender ones whole, and adjust veggie cuts based on how you’re cooking them. Skip the acid when marinating seafood to prevent an odd texture.
Swap oils, acids, and spices to mix up flavors.
Keep the marinade in the fridge for a week or freeze it for months, and freeze marinated proteins for up to 3 months. Toss any marinade that touches raw meat if it’s not cooked.
What's your favorite protein or veggie to marinate? Share your go-to combos in the comments!
Enjoy!
