How to reverse marinate your food

Marinating can be done a little differently, all you have to do is flip the switch.

Make your marinade sing. Source: Smith Street Books

Usually we marinate meat before we cook it to elevate its flavours and tenderise it. But did you know you can marinate it after it's been cooked?

This is called reverse marinating. One such method is called escabeche, which is popular in Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American and Filipino cuisines.

Reverse marinating has benefits over standard marinating. US chef and food writer Claire Saffitz notes that the moisture and sugar in many marinades can cause a protein to simultaneously steam and burn without searing.

We're flipping the script and marinating after grilling.

In US food magazine Bon Appétit, Saffitz writes, "We're flipping the script and marinating after grilling.

"We've been inspired by the technique known as en escabeche, found in the cuisines of Spain, the Mediterranean, and Latin America (among others). It involves cooking fish and meat, then preserving them in an acidic mixture."

Make your meat shine with marinade. Source: Kaily Koutsogiannis

Ways to reverse marinate

There are plenty of dishes that you can reverse marinate. You can douse deep-fried fish or poultry in a hot vinegar pickle and then serve it cold, or rest your seared steak in oil vinegar and herbs after cooking. In Japan salmon is coated in flour, fried, then tossed in a tangy sauce and called nanbanzuke. Meanwhile, Adam Liaw, the host of SBS Food's The Cook Up, has a few ways to zhuzh up a steak once it's been grilled.

"Dijon mustard is actually a fabulous thing for brushing onto a steak after you've cooked it. Just cook the steak as you normally would, then brush it with a bit of mustard." You can have it just like that because the mustard gives it enough flavour.

Dijon mustard is actually a fabulous thing for brushing onto a steak after you've cooked it.

"Or you can go a little bit more fancy and just dip it into some herbs. And then when you cut into that steak, it's got all the flavour that you need already on there."

Looking to keep your grilled meat juicy? Try pouring a bit of flavoured oil over it once it's cooked. Not only does this add to the taste, it keeps the steak moist too.

Make your own flavoured oil by infusing it with a herb of choice, or try buying pre-made flavoured oils from the supermarket.

Reverse marinating is a great way to save time and serve something to your guests that's ready to eat, and it's guaranteed to be full of flavour.