Recipes

15 Minimalist Marinades to Rescue Boring Weeknight Dinners

These easy marinade recipes only take a few ingredients and a few minutes to put together. Minimalism, ya know?
Image may contain Plant Citrus Fruit Fruit Food Lime Cutlery Fork Dish and Meal
Alex Lau

Don't stare at that pound of ground beef or filet of salmon blankly, wondering how you're ever going to tolerate it for dinner...yet again. You have marinades and sauces for that. But this isn't about those epic, 37-spices-from-around-the-globe Sunday braises. These 15 easy marinade and sauce combos only take a few ingredients and a few minutes to put together. Minimalism, ya know?

  • A bowl of carrots beef cabbage and avocado. Plated on a green surface
    Photographs Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Christine Keely, Food Styling by Taneka Morris
    1/15

    Soboro Beef

    Try this technique—involving a few well-timed splashes of three ingredients—on any type of ground meat for an easy rice bowl topper.

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  • Image may contain Food Roast and Bread
    PHOTO BY CHELSIE CRAIG, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA BILLINGSKOG
    2/15

    Salmon Teriyaki

    The thing no one ever tells you about teriyaki? It's really, really easy.

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  • Image may contain Dish Food Meal Animal and Bird
    Christopher Testani
    3/15

    Yogurt-Marinated Grilled Chicken

    Marinating chicken in yogurt is an Indian technique that adds flavor, acidity, and tenderness.

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  • A plate of Bulgogi plated in a beige bowl on a pink surface
    Photographs Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Christine Keely, Food Styling by Taneka Morris
    4/15

    Basic Bulgogi

    For this basic bulgogi recipe, cutting the meat into very thin strips allows it to absorb the hot-sweet-salty marinade in minutes, not hours.

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  • Image may contain Plant Fruit Food Citrus Fruit Lime Dish and Meal
    Danny Kim
    5/15

    Red Snapper with Sambal

    Be sure to pat the snapper fillets dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as you can before slicing. The scoring helps the marinade seep into the snapper faster, and more effectively.

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  • Image may contain Plant Citrus Fruit Fruit Food Lime Cutlery Fork Dish and Meal
    Alex Lau
    6/15

    Pounded Lemongrass Chicken

    This aromatic Vietnamese-inspired dish calls for pounding the chicken breasts to a uniform thinness, which eliminates any dryness and allows the marinade to take full effect.

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  • Image may contain Food and Plant
    Eva Kolenko
    7/15

    Hawaiian Rib-Eye Steak

    Now you can make one of Hillstone’s most popular dishes at home, a decision you will never regret, courtesy of the soy sauce and pineapple juice combo in the marinade. Perfect.

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  • Image may contain Food Animal Seafood Sea Life and Lobster
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    8/15

    Broiled Salmon with Scallions and Sesame

    Half of the sauce goes toward a marinade, and the other half goes toward a finishing sauce. The rest you'll just probably slurp on its own.

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  • This image may contain Food Dish Meal and Pork
    Photo by Chelsie Craig, Styling by Molly Baz
    9/15

    Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops

    Why make your own hoisin? Because the surprisingly simple and addictively sweet-salty condiment will wake up just about everything you’re making this week.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Platter Cutlery and Fork
    Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
    10/15

    Snapper Escabèche with Chiles, Garlic, and Oregano

    Because it’s so delicate, the flesh can break down when marinated first, sometimes causing the fish to fall apart. A post-grill bath delivers flavor without compromising texture.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Lunch Plant and Steak
    11/15

    Coffee-Rubbed Steak

    This rub works on just about any cut (in fact, it’s served on filet mignon at Mesa Grill), and the pan-to-oven method is foolproof.

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  • Image may contain Plant Food Vegetable and Produce
    Linda Xiao
    12/15

    Ground Chicken Larb

    Easy, refreshing, and bursting with flavor thanks to the simple sauce—can we have this for dinner every night?

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  • Image may contain Animal Bird and Food
    Alex Lau
    13/15

    Thai Grilled Chicken Wings

    The tangy dipping sauce is great with pretty much any grilled meat, but the oyster and soy sauce marinade takes this dish to another world entirely.

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  • Image may contain Food Egg and Roast
    Christina Holmes
    14/15

    Wedding Chicken

    We call it wedding chicken because you'll want to marry this marinade.

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  • Image may contain French Toast Food Toast and Bread
    Alex Lau
    15/15

    Harissa-Crusted Swordfish

    This homemade take on harissa is bold enough to use on pork chops or chicken thighs, too. Or, make it even easier and use your favorite jarred version.

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Associate Web Editor. When she’s not posted up at a café, reading and praying that sipping her cappuccino won’t mean sacrificing a night’s sleep, Elyssa writes about food culture and restaurant trends for bonappetit.com. The team’s unrelenting sweet tooth and beverage nerd, Elyssa can also be found refreshing the Wait-or-Buy ... Read More
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