3 Easy Marinade Recipes For Summer Grilling

Before you fire up the grill this summer, take a cue from chef, author, and food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and make the easiest, best marinades using mayo. 

Inspired by Lopez-Alt’s culinary genius, we put one of Thrive Market’s bestsellers — Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise — to work with these summer-ready marinade recipes. The good fats in avocado oil will help you achieve the ideal smoky char on your sustainable salmon, organic chicken, or grass-fed beef, while helping other flavors penetrate.

And speaking of flavors, simply mix your mayo with a few simple add-ins, then spread the marinade on your protein of choice and let it do its thing. We’ve suggested a protein pairing for each marinade recipe below, but you’ve got the whole summer grilling season to create your perfect summer cookout spread using Thrive Market’s organic, ethically sourced meat and seafood, so get creative and mix it up.

Lemon-Herb Sockeye Salmon Marinade Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the marinade

2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
1 ½  teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Coriander Seeds, toasted and ground
¼ Mina Preserved Lemon peel minced (reserve inner flesh for another use) 
2 teaspoons Mina preserved lemon juice from jar
2-3 cloves garlic, grated

4 (4oz) filets Thrive Market Wild-Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped

Instructions

To make the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside. You can make the marinade a day before and store in the fridge, which will allow the flavors to deepen.

Pat the salmon filets dry with a paper towel and place in a glass or other non-reactive container. Smear a thin layer of the mayo marinade on each side of the salmon filets. Cover the container tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. 

About 15 minutes before cooking, remove salmon from the fridge to allow it to reach room temperature. Heat grill to medium.

Once the grill is heated and salmon has reached room temperature, lightly oil the grill grates with avocado oil. Place salmon skin side up on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook skin side down for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Salmon is done once internal temperature reaches 145℉ or when flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Remove from the grill and let rest for a few minutes. Top with chopped dill before serving.

Try it with: Boiled fingerling potatoes, green salad with mustard vinaigrette 

Sesame-Miso Yellowfin Tuna Marinade Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the marinade

1 ½ tablespoon Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
1 ½ tablespoon Eden Foods Shiro Miso
1 ½ tablespoon Eden Foods Mirin
2 teaspoons San-J Organic Tamari 
1 teaspoon Eden Foods Toasted Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Cane Sugar

4 (4 oz) Thrive Wild-Caught Yellowfin Tuna steaks (roughly 1 pound)

Instructions

To make the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside. You can make the marinade a day before and store in the fridge, which will allow the flavors to deepen.

Pat the tuna steaks dry with a paper towel and place in a glass or other nonreactive container. Pour marinade over the tuna and spread to cover, turning the steaks over to fully coat. Cover container tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. 

About 15 minutes before cooking, remove the tuna from the fridge to allow steaks to reach room temperature. Heat grill to medium.

Once the grill is heated and the tuna has reached room temperature, lightly oil the grill with avocado oil. Remove tuna from bowl and let any excess marinade drip off before placing on the grill. For a nice sear and a rare steak, cook for 60 to 90 seconds, flip, and cook for an additional 60 to 90 seconds. To cook all the way through, grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove from the grill and let rest for a few minutes. Slice thinly and serve.

Try it with: Cucumber salad with shallot and mint, steamed rice

Sweet and Spicy Za’atar Flank Steak Marinade Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the marinade

2 tablespoons Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 teaspoons Thrive Market Organic Red Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoons Just Date Syrup Pomegranate Molasses 

1 pound Thrive Market Grass-Fed Beef Flank Steak
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Za’atar
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

To make the marinade, combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside.

Pat the flank steak dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the steak with za’atar, salt, and freshly cracked pepper, then smear a thin layer of the mayo marinade on both sides of the steak. Place in a container and store in the fridge for at least an hour, or ideally overnight.

About 20 minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the fridge to bring it up to room temperature. Heat the grill to medium-high.

Once the steak is at room temperature and the grill is heated, lightly oil the grill grates with avocado oil. Place the steak on the grill and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium rare (125 to 130℉ with an instant read thermometer), or until desired doneness. Cooking times will vary depending on thickness. Note: Flank steak can get chewy if overcooked, and is best cooked medium rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes, then thinly slice at an angle across the grain of the meat.

Try it with: Israeli salad with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, peppers; couscous

Bonus: Spicy Burger Spread Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients 

¼ cup Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Yellowbird Serrano Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well, adding more hot sauce to taste. 

Spread on burger buns before serving.

All recipes courtesy of Aubrey Devin.