Why I Choose Canola Oil – Chef Matt Basile

Matt Basile - 5 Things I Love to Crush on the BBQ with Canadian Canola Oil

5 Marinades & Sauces Chef Matt Basile Loves to Crush on the BBQ Using Canadian Canola Oil

Chef Matt Basile is a big fan of cooking with Canadian ingredients and celebrating Canadian farmers. When it comes to the grilling on the BBQ, canola oil is a must-have in his recipes because of its neutral flavour, it takes the heat, and because it’s 100% Canadian! If you follow Matt on YouTube, then you might be familiar with his “Things I Like to Crush” series. In this webisode, he’s sharing 5 marinades and sauces he likes to crush on the BBQ using Canadian canola oil. Be sure to cook along with Matt’s Ginger Chili Marinade/Sauce – recipe below!

The go-to cooking oil in my kitchen, whether it’s at home or in my catering kitchen, is canola oil!

– Chef Matt Basile

#5. Hot Honey is more of a sauce than a marinade, although you can cook with it. Hot Honey is always a crowd favorite and one of Matt’s go-to sauces for wings. He makes his hot honey by mixing honey, chili sauce, fish sauce, canola oil, and lemon juice. This recipe for hot honey blends the acidity from the lemon and the smoothness from the canola oil. This brings out the sweetness from the honey and a bit of the heat from the chili oil, a perfect balance. The fish sauce may surprise some of you as it isn’t a flavor you can really taste, but if it wasn’t there you would definitely miss it. This goes great with all manner of cooked wings.

#4. Garlic and Pineapple Sauce falls squarely into the sauce category. Garlic and Pineapple Sauce has won its place at the table with a wide variety of foods but is commonly paired with seafood like shrimp or scallops. It has a broad flavor profile that includes sweet, tangy, tart, and strong overtones of garlic. Bringing all these flavors together is no easy feat, but thanks to canola oil Matt is able to get the perfect consistency with the sauce. Matt makes this by cooking down his pineapple and garlic in canola oil, adding in soy sauce, plum sauce and simmering until he reaches just the right amount of thickness. He says that shrimp is really his top choice for this sauce, but even mentions that it could be a good fit for bok choy.

#3. Dill Dijon Sauce. This one straddles the line between sauce and marinade, but does lean a bit more towards the sauce side. Dill Dijon Sauce is a great fit for grilled salmon or grilled trout. You can add it in before, after, or even while you’re cooking. Matt likes to add it to sandwiches in place of more traditional condiments. This is made by combining fresh dill, Dijon mustard, orange marmalade, canola oil, and finally mayo for that creamy texture. This is also a great dip for foods like chicken tenders.

#2. Chimichurri. Matt predicts that in time chimichurri will overtake legendary staples like mustard and ketchup because it tastes delicious on everything. The ingredients are simple, straightforward, and all equally revered as flavor boosters. It consists of fresh Italian parsley, cilantro, apple cider vinegar, garlic, shallots, canola oil, and optionally, just a bit of salt. Matt prefers to use this sauce on steak or whole grilled fish, things that you would typically already be salting. He also says it goes great with lobster in place of a butter sauce, and even compliments grilled corn nicely.

#1. Ginger Chili Marinade/Sauce is both a sauce and marinade and yes we know that is bold language. When is the last time you had a mouth-watering dish topped with Ginger Chili Sauce? This made it the very top of the list because it really is one of the most unique and versatile additions you can serve on your dish. This is made by using tons of fresh ginger, Thai chilies, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and finally bringing it all together with canola oil. This is amazing on ribs and pork chops, an absolute “level up” moment for both dishes. This particular marinade/sauce is accompanied by a recipe that Matt conjured, which you can try for yourself below!

Cook Along!

Try Matt’s Ginger Chili Marinade/Sauce recipe below with pork chops and mixed mushrooms! Give it a try and post your pics on Instagram #makeitcanola and be sure to tag us @canolaeatwell and Matt @chefmattbasile.

Ingredients

Fresh ginger
2 Thai chilis
1 green onions, split from white/green
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp hoisin
2 tbsp canola
1 tbsp soy sauce
mixed mushrooms
2-3 tbsp canola oil
2 pork chops
1 cup flour
½ lemon, wedged
1 green onion

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 450F.
  2. On a baking tray, spread out your mixed mushrooms, toss with some canola oil until fully coated, roast in the oven, about 10-12 minutes, until crispy and tender.
  3. To make your marinade, finely chop your fresh ginger, and depending on how spicy you like your sauce, add in thinly sliced Thai chilis and green onions. Mix in your rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, canola oil and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Set aside half of the prepared marinade to use as a finishing sauce.
  4. To prepare the pork chops, brush with your ginger chili marinade and lightly flour pork chops. Sear in a pan for about 3 minutes each side. Add in more of your ginger chili marinade and allow to cook and caramelize more, until they get a golden-brown crust, and top with green onions.
  5. To plate, place your mushrooms down on a plate, place your pork chops on top, drizzle with the ginger chili finishing sauce that was set aside, top with more green onions and a wedge of lemon.