Maximize work-to-flavor ratio with soy-mustard glaze
Whirl up this soy-mustard glaze to boost grilled steak, salmon or chicken.
Glazes are great. Mix a few ingredients in a bowl. Brush it on whatever you're grilling to gain a flavor boost.
Whipping up a sauce at home grants advantages. Home cooks control sugar and salt levels. Other seasonings and ingredients get added or eliminated to build a flavor that perfectly suits individual tastes.
It doesn't take much more time to make a glaze than opening a bottle of store-bought product. Especially if you factor in time struggling to open the bottle. Please tell me I'm not the only who needs scissors to remove the perforated plastic “tear away” cover or have that tiny plastic piece bust off in my fingers and leave the seal intact.
Anyway, I found this soy-mustard glaze recipe on a 1.25-quart bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce.
Insights
The glaze is salty with a bit of mustard bite that plays well with smoky grill flavors. The recipe says to coat steak or beef specifically, but it's also tasty on chicken and salmon.
There's no need to mince fresh ginger root; instead use teaspoon ground ginger. I used minced garlic from a jar and lemon juice from a lemon-shaped plastic container. (It's shaped like a lemon, so it has to be good, right?)
If you don't have a brush, pour the glaze onto the meat and then use the back of a spoon to spread it out.
I used a whisk instead of a blender and didn't fully incorporate dry and wet ingredients.. Once again proving the bulletproof nature of recipes on food packages, dinner wasn't ruined because of my mistake.
After a few times through you won't need to measure ingredients. Just dump and taste and make adjustments. The skill to season to taste improves foods and eliminates dishes that need washing. It's a skill worth cultivating.
Dan Higgins tests recipes found on food packages in a very average kitchen with moderately above average cooking talent and meh presentation skills. Contact
This recipe is from a 1.25-quart bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1⁄2 teaspoon rosemary
⁄2 teaspoon thyme 1
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
Combine ingredients in a blender; whirl until smooth. Thoroughly brush both sides of steaks (or other meat) with mixture. Grill or broil on one side. Flip and brush with remaining sauce. Cook to preferred temperature or doneness.
Daniel at (920) 996-7214 or dphiggin@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @Higgins Eats.