fabrisse

There was an article recently in the food section of The Washington Post that maintained marinating only needs to take about five minutes. Apparently, whatever changes are going to occur happen very quickly. It's good to know. It's also good to know that unless you're using papaya juice, which has enzymes that dissolve proteins, it doesn't hurt to leave it longer.

I find preparing marinades and letting the meat soak overnight is a great way for a cook to anticipate the party. Beyond that, especially with grilling, preparing the marinade can be the most labor intensive part of the meal. Get it out of the way early, then only the last minute stuff will need to be done.

The Professor does a really killer Korean Barbecue marinade, but, sadly, I don't have his recipe.

The Marinade I use for meaty fish is based on "Veronique" style dishes found in French restaurants.

For two pounds of fish:
1 Tablespoon of neutral oil (light olive oil, canola, safflower, vegetable)
1 cup of sweet white wine (for those allergic to alcohol, white grape juice or white grape juice and water may be substituted)
1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon coarsely chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
Handful Seedless white grapes (optional)
1 Tablespoon of chopped shallot or sweet onion or white of one leek (optional)

This can be done with any firm fish. I especially like it with monk fish. If you cut the monkfish into chunks, it works well on skewers for shish kebab on the grill. It also works for fillets under the broiler and can be done for baked chicken.

For Two Pounds of Chicken:
This was an inspiration for a grill party we were having. We had marinated the meat in The Professor's Korean barbecue and the fish in the marinade above, but we couldn't figure out what worked for the chicken. We used boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks, again, for shish kebabs. It also works well on fish.

Margarita Marinade
1 Tablespoon of neutral oil (see above0
1 cup of lime juice
1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt
1/2 cup of Tequila
1 to 2 teaspoons of ground cumin

The cumin makes it. Really, it's good.

And if you have a grill, I recommend shish kebab parties. The meat or other (tofu, tempeh, mushrooms) gets put out in a line with the chopped vegetables. Everyone puts together his or her own skewer depending on taste. That way, no one has to eat bell pepper. *G*