Rubbing It In
by Lynn Bain

SEAFOOD treated with marinades or rubs tastes terrific when grilled or barbecued. A seafood marinade - a seasoned mixture in which raw seafood is soaked before cooking - tenderises and adds flavour to the end result. A rub is drier than a marinade and needs to be rubbed into the flesh of the raw seafood.

MARINADING HINTS

Allow enough time for the flavours of the marinade to infiltrate the flesh before cooking. Aim for a minimum of a couple of hours marinading time or, better still, overnight.

Use a non-reactive bowl or dish for marinading. Metal bowls tend to react with the citrus or vinegars present in most marinades and impart a metallic flavour to the finished product. Glass or ceramic bowls are best.

Turn the seafood from time to time in the marinade to ensure that the flavours of the marinade are distributed evenly. If you’re using a rub, check the seafood occasionally and reapply the rub to any spots where the rub has soaked into the flesh.

THAI LEMONGRASS AND CHILLI MARINADE

Excellent for prawns, fish fillets, calamari, and baby octopus, this marinade embodies the exotic flavours of Thailand. Most of the heat in a chilli is concentrated in the inner ribs and seeds, so remove these before chopping the chilli if you want a more gentle heat.

Ingredients

• 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only) finely chopped
• juice and zest from 2 limes
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
• 1 red chilli, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons Bertolli olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a glass bowl. Add the seafood of your choice and turn a few times in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate.

JERKED RUB FOR SEAFOOD

Delicious when used for fish fillets and prawns. The ingredients in this recipe make for a rather dry mix which needs to be patted onto the seafood.

Ingredients

• 4 shallots, finely shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

Combine the ingredients together and rub into the seafood flesh.

TENTACLES MARINADE

This full-bodied marinade goes deliciously with squid and baby octopus. When cleaned, squid can either be cut into rings or the body left whole (don't forget to include the tentacles). If leaving whole, slice the body down one side, open out, and score the flesh diagonally. This allows the marinade to flavour the squid more effectively.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm beer
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 small onion, finely chopped

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and add the cleaned leggy creatures. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill or barbecue.