Teriyaki Marinade

I often use homemade marinades to infuse meat, seafood or tofu with flavor before baking or grilling them. Teriyaki is a favorite at my house and it seems I make this marinade every other week.

You can either use soy sauce or tamari for the base. Tamari may be harder to find but because it has a higher concentration of soy beans and no grain (making it virtually gluten-free), it is thicker, smoother richer, and less salty than the more common soy sauce. Once you try it, you won't go back.

The recipe below makes just under 1 cup, enough to marinade 2 lbs of chicken wings, or 4 salmon fillets, or 1 lb of shrimp, or 1 package of extra firm tofu. I like to make it a day ahead so the flavors have time to develop before throwing in the protein to marinade for another 4-8 hours.

Makes 1 batch

• ½ cup tamari or low-sodium soy sauce = 120 ml de sauce soja ou de tamari
• ¼ cup mirin or white rice vinegar = 60 ml de mirin
• ¼ cup brown sugar = 50 g de cassonade
• 3 cloves garlic, minced = 3 gousses d'ail, émincées
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger = 2 cuillères à soupe de gingembre frais râpé
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil = 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile de sésame
• pinch red pepper flakes = pincée de flocons de piment rouge

Put all the ingredients in a jar, screw lid on and shake well . Use right away or refrigerate for up to 10 days.