Copycat Lawry's Lemon Pepper Marinade
Description
This copycat Lawry's lemon pepper marinade takes 15 minutes and pantry staples. Bright, zesty, and peppery — no bottle needed, and no preservatives or dyes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, optional, for cling
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons black pepper, coarsely ground
- 1 teaspoon dill seed
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid, optional
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional, to thicken
Instructions
- Whisk the base. In a bowl or jar, combine the water, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, and salt. Whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Add the seasonings. Stir in the black pepper, dill seed, crushed rosemary, lemon zest, garlic, onion powder, and citric acid.
- Thicken (optional). For a bottle-like body, whisk the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, then stir it in. For a thin pourable marinade, skip it.
- Marinate. Pour over your protein in a zip-top bag or dish, turning to coat. Marinate 15–30 minutes for a quick meal, or up to a few hours for deeper flavor.
- Cook. Grill, bake, or sauté — basting with fresh (unused) marinade as it cooks. Always discard marinade that touched raw meat.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
Notes
- Makes enough for about 2 pounds of chicken, shrimp, or pork.
- Marinate shrimp and fish only 15–30 minutes — the acid will turn them mushy if left longer. Chicken: 30 min–4 hrs. Pork: 1–4 hrs.
- Reserve a few tablespoons before the marinade touches raw meat so you can baste safely while cooking.
- Dill seed and rosemary are the signature notes — don't skip them.
- Store unused marinade in an airtight jar in the fridge up to 1 week. Never reuse marinade that contacted raw meat.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 30kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 389mgPotassium: 14mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 2IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.1mg