Fresh Lemon Herb Marinade For Every Meal
This homemade Lemon Herb Marinade combines fresh lemon, garlic, basil, and thyme for a quick, flavorful recipe that's perfect for grilling or roasting.
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Step 1
- Wash and dry your lemons well. Zest them first, then squeeze the juice. Fresh zest adds an incredible burst of citrus flavor that bottled juice simply can't match.
Step 2
- Pour the lemon juice into a medium mixing bowl.
Step 3
- Add the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Step 4
- Whisk everything together until the oil and lemon juice are well combined. The herbs should be evenly distributed throughout the marinade.
Step 5
- Before adding any raw meat, give the marinade a quick taste. Depending on your lemons, you may want another pinch of salt or an extra squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 6
- Pour the marinade over your chicken, seafood, steak, pork, or vegetables, turning everything until each piece is evenly coated.
Step 7
- Cover and refrigerate while the flavors work their magic.
- Here are the marinating times I usually follow:
- Chicken: 2–6 hours
- Steak: 2–4 hours
- Fish: 20–30 minutes
- Shrimp: About 20 minutes
- Vegetables: 30–60 minutes
Step 8
- Remove the food from the marinade and cook it however you like. This recipe works beautifully on the grill, in the oven, in a skillet, or even in the air fryer.