This is a great barbecue chicken marinade recipe and very much in a Mediterranean style. It is very much a Mediterranean style marinade, and typically of that region, it is simple to make, uses a very limited number of ingredients. Unlike other European cuisines, especially further north where many ingredients are used to build up layers of rich flavor; here a minimal amount is used to good effect.
This reflects the differences in the climate I suppose. The cooler northern European climate fosters stodgier cuisine that is the very thing in cold, damp winters – hot sunny days seem to make fresh, simple food the thing to want. This idea is reflected in Californian food quite often.
The freshness and quality of the ingredients is the thing that seems to matter most in this type of cooking.
Marinade Ingredients
- A cup of good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped off and finely chopped (or 2 tsp of dried rosemary)
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 lemon, zest grated off, and juice squeezed out
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method
Add the chopped rosemary, crushed garlic, and grated lemon zest to the olive oil, and mix it all together in an appropriate sized bowl or jug.
Then add the chicken and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours – it won’t take long.
Take the chicken out, season and grill it as normal.
Drizzle the lemon juice over each piece of chicken (or white fish like bass, tuna or talipia), and serve it straight away.
Serve it with crunchy red Camargue rice, and fresh salad leaves.
A glass of chilled white wine goes down well with it.