The Best Marinade Ever

Recently the H and I joined a coworker of mine for dinner and football. It was the Saints game that sent them to the Superbowl, and I was incredibly happy! I feel like I’ve waited for this moment my entire life. My coworker and his wife are pretty fantastic, and they served some pretty fantastic food to go along with it. Grilled salmon in an Asian-inspired marinade, steamed broccoli in a light sesame dressing/glaze, and wild rice. It was so good that I was thinking about it all day Monday, a good week later. MMMMM HMMMM! I marinated salmon in it Monday night and tofu for Tuesday night. It is so good that I made 2 servings (one for my salmon and one for my tofu). Do not try to stretch this because, trust me, you are going to want the extra sauce to go over your rice. Andrew says it is good on Tuna as well. Alrighty then!

Andrew’s Asian Marinade:

• 2 tbsp. soy
• 3 tbsp. hoisin sauce (easily found in the Asian section)
• 2 tbsp. EVOO
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• a few scallions (I used regular onion diced into tiny pieces b/c I was fresh out of scallions)
• 1/2-1 inch of fresh ginger (or a dash or 2 of the powdered ginger)
• 1/2-1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

The black pepper really lends a new level to this marinade so don’t be afraid to use it liberally.

It’s also good for a tofu marinade. Just cut and dry out your extra firm tofu as you normally would. Marinate it overnight. I baked it in the oven at 350 last night, and it was my best attempt at store-bought tofu to date.

My other idea was to deep fry it first then toss with the marinade in a pan and serve over rice. I have been trying to figure out for months how restaurants get their tofu so perfectly browned on all sides without destroying the shape of their cubes. They have to deep fry. They just have to.

A note on side dishes for this: If your grocery has those large dispensers of organic rices, grains, and dried beans, go for it!  I got my wild rice from one of these bins at the Turnip Truck (but I have also seen these dispensers at Wild Oats and Whole Foods).  It’s a cute little natural market in East Nashville.  I’ve made it a goal to visit all the farmer’s markets and local produce/grocery stores in the Nashville area.  I’ll be posting thoughts soon.

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