This is my go-to recipe for a simple marinade without the questionable ingredients (hello flavour enhancers) you might find in pre-marinated meat or in a bottled marinade in the supermarket.

It is super versatile and can be used on chicken, beef, pork or fish (especially salmon). Whether you’re having a poolside barbecue in the height of summer or craving slow-cooked comfort food in the depths of winter, this marinade has you covered. It even works as a stir fry sauce for a speedy mid-week dinner.

Ingredients

1/4 cup tamari

2 tbsp honey

2 tsp sesame oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Optional: 1 small chilli, diced

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl or jug. Pour over meat and stir to coat. Leave to marinate for up to 24 hours.

Great for:  chicken (kebabs, wings, drumsticks, thigh fillets), beef or pork steaks (or ribs), salmon or trout fillets.

To cook, you can either thread the meat onto skewers and pan-fry or barbecue, place meat on a tray and cook in the oven, or stir fry. You can even use this marinade in the slow cooker with cuts like chicken thighs, pork shoulder or beef chuck to make an easy set-and-forget main dish to serve with rice and greens. A few sesame seeds sprinkled on top makes for great presentation, too. It also works well as a filling for sushi or rice paper rolls.

Note: I use tamari rather than regular soy sauce which uses wheat. You can sub soy if you prefer, but I use tamari as it is usually organic and is just made of soy beans, water and salt. Great if you need a gluten free option.

Time-saving tip: Buy meat in bulk (it’s often cheaper that way), make up a big batch of marinade when you get home and freeze the meat in batches in the marinade. Take it out when you need it, and the marinade will do its work as the meat thaws, giving you a ready-made option for a quick dinner.

Use this marinade to create loads of different meals:

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Enjoy!