Why discard marinade?

[cbg]

I'm marinating salmon and, usually, I bake it right in the marinade and it makes a great sauce. This time, though, we're going to grill the salmon. I'd like to cook the marinade so that it will thicken into a sauce like the baked version. Is there some reason I have to discard the marinade?

thanks for your thoughts!
cbg

 

[scott123]

Normally marinade is discarded for food safety issues. As long as you bring it to a boil, though, it's fine.

 

[will]

You would ony have to discard it because it comes in contact with raw food. If you bring it to a boil for 2 minutes, its safe to use again.

 

[Claire]

Along with everyone else: boil it, then it will be OK. I make a cornstarch slurry (1 T cornstarch disolved in a third cup of cold water) and when the marinade has boiled for a couple minutes, whisk it in. It will thicken to a nice sauce consistency.

 

[Raine]

Does boiling it change the flavors, etc?

 

[will]

Good question... I would imagine it would (depending on the contents of the marinade), but I dont know to what extent. I would be curious to know the answer to this as well...

 

[marmalady]

I don't think boiling it changes the flavors noticeably - especially 'cause you're only boiling it for about 2-3 minutes.

About the only thing I would hesitate to do this with is chicken or poultry, especially if it's been sitting out in the marinade for a bit. But I've done the 'boil' bit for beef and pork and seafood, and it's been just fine.

 

[Yakuta]

I would assume the texture of the marinade changes as you cook it. Then again is that not the whole purpose. Most people try to make a sauce to pour over the meat and they use left over marinade and thicken it or give it some body with a little butter for a lighter sauce or with roux etc.

I make a yogurt marinade for my chicken. I marinate the chicken in it and then grill the chicken. I use the leftover yogurt marinade to make the sauce and to do that I boil the marinade until it gets nice and thick. It almost gets a nice sheen to it as it thickens. I then pour it over the chicken for a more flavor.

 

[jennyema]

Often the marinade concentrates and gets saltier after it's boiled, so taste it before serving.