This French-Inspired Marinade Will Liven Up Your Proteins
Get the best flavor with this chef-approved marinade.

Marinades are a simple way to add new, interesting flavors to an otherwise plain (dare we say boring?) food. They can also be a great way to keep your dish healthy. By marinating your dish in fresh ingredients, you’ll be less likely to add too much salt or flavor it with high-calorie condiments. (We’re looking at you, ranch dressing.)
And marinades are incredibly versatile. Not only can you make them from a million combinations of ingredients, but you can use them to flavor so many foods: fish, poultry, steak, pork, tofu, tempeh, beans, veggies, and so on. Some marinades, like this one, can even double as a salad dressing—whether it’s on greens or a cold pasta salad.
This marinade from cardiologist and chef Mike Fenster, MD, has a similar structure as a vinaigrette, using an acid (lemon), an emulsifier (dijon mustard), and olive oil. (Check out our ultimate guide to making a homemade vinaigrette.) These three ingredients not only complement each other flavor-wise, but together they form a cohesive, sauce-like emulsion that is thin enough to pour around but thick enough to stick to whatever you’re marinating.
What makes Dr. Mike’s marinade more unique is the Herbes de Provence seasoning. This herb blend is unique to southern France, a region known as Provence. Because of its Mediterranean flavor, this marinade works beautifully on seafood like a fresh salmon filet (try it out in this dijon-marinated salmon).
For a fun, Mediterranean-inspired salad, try Dr. Mike’s marinade as a dressing with blanched green beans, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion. (Need help? No problem. Here’s how to blanch with ease, slice cherry tomatoes in one simple motion, and chop onions without crying.)
Ingredients
- 1 oz white wine
- 1/2 a lemon, juiced
- 1/2 a lemon peel, zested
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon lavender
Instructions
1. Whisk together wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, and mustard. 2. Whisk in olive oil until the mixture emulsifies, or blends into a cohesive consistency. 3. Stir in Herbes de Provence and lavender.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Information Based on a Single Serving
*Percent Daily Value are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Dietary Needs



Carbohydrate

Cholesterol



Dr. Fenster is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and chef.
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,970
[MUSIC]
2
00:00:00,970 --> 00:00:06,300
What we're gonna start with is,
just a little bit of white wine.
3
00:00:06,300 --> 00:00:10,110
And we're gonna brighten it up
using the zest of the lemon.
4
00:00:10,110 --> 00:00:12,020
Now make sure that when you do this,
5
00:00:12,020 --> 00:00:14,590
you don't get any of the white
part because that's the pith.
6
00:00:14,590 --> 00:00:16,780
And if somebody gets
that it's very bitter and
7
00:00:16,780 --> 00:00:19,170
you make them very pith off when
they're trying to eat that.
8
00:00:19,170 --> 00:00:22,040
We're also gonna use the juice
of the lemon as well,
9
00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,480
and that's going to give it some acidity.
10
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,800
So we're gonna go ahead and
use a little bit of honey as well.
11
00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,150
And this is gonna help sweeten it, but
12
00:00:29,150 --> 00:00:33,950
it's also gonna add a nice
crust as it cooks in the pan.
13
00:00:33,950 --> 00:00:36,960
We wanna go ahead and
add a little bit of dijon mustard.
14
00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,590
And what's very important is gonna act as
a emulsifier because we're gonna add some
15
00:00:40,590 --> 00:00:42,480
olive oil as well.
16
00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,320
And olive oil, wine, water,
they don't really mix, but
17
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,440
when we combine it with the mustard in
there, it's gonna act as emulsifier and
18
00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,540
help hold this whole thing together.
19
00:00:51,540 --> 00:00:55,090
We wanna add a little bit
more of our lavender as well.
20
00:00:55,090 --> 00:00:58,350
And finally of course, we're gonna
add our herbes de provence blend.
21
00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:03,308
So we are gonna put that all together and
I've got this salmon here.
22
00:01:03,308 --> 00:01:09,460
And we're just gonna go ahead and
pour that right over the fish.
23
00:01:09,460 --> 00:01:11,375
[MUSIC]