Looking for a heady collection of herbs, citrus, and garlic with earthy undertones? Then you will love Chermoula Sauce!
I don't remember where I first heard of or tasted Chermoula Sauce. But whenever it was, it was love at first taste. It originated in Morocco, but appears in the cuisines of various North African countries.
I love this sauce can be used on so many things:
- Oven roasted veggies like the above romanesco, portobello mushrooms, or cauliflower steaks
- Over a slab of grilled tofu
- A pasta sauce over spaghetti or shells
- A salad dressing over a leafy green salad, a cold pasta salad, or a bread salad.
- A topping for Pearl Couscous with Zucchini and Purple Kale
Whatever you use it for, its bright, tangy taste will really liven up your cooking!
Ingredients
- Cilantro
- Italian Parsley
- Cumin
- Aleppo Pepper
- Smoked Paprika
- Olive Oil
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
See recipe card for quantities.
Cilantro has a bright, citrus like flavor with some peppery overtones. And, to some people, unfortunately, it tastes like soap. Check with those you want to serve it to before making it. Some options are given below.
Italian Parsley has a bright, nutty flavor.
Cumin gives earthy overtones.
Aleppo Pepper is earthy and has a tiny bit of heat. If you can't find it online, you can replace it with paprika with a touch of cayenne pepper.
Smoked Paprika gives earthy, smokey overtones.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil gives a fruity taste.
Lemon Juice and Zest gives a bright, acidic flavor that contrasts nicely with the other ingredients.
Instructions
Step 1: Place the parsley and cilantro in the food processor.
Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredient, except for the oil.
Step 3: Pulse the food processor to mix and mince the ingredients.
Step 4: Now leave the food processor going and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl.
Substitutions
If you are one of those folks, or are making this for one of those folks who find that cilantro tastes like soap, you could either just double the amount of parsley, or use a mixture of parsley and mint.
Variations
Give Chermoula Sauce some heat by either adding red pepper flakes or put an jalapeño, Fresno chili, or other hot pepper. Urfa Biber would give it a raisiny heat.
Add in ground coriander and/or paprika, especially smoked paprika.
Ginger can give an awesome spicy note.
Saffron is often used.
Equipment
- A food processor
- Silicon spatula
- A knife
- A chopping block
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
Storage
Chermoula Sauce will stay good in the fridge if kept in an airtight container for 3-5 days. After this it may begin to darken, so make sure there is a thin layer of oil on top to protect it.
Freezing Chermoula Sauce is great! Then you just thaw what you need! Freeze it in ice cube trays or small containers. It will last 3-5 months this way!
Related
Looking for other Mediterranean recipes? Try these:
Looking for other sauce recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chermoula Sauce:
Recipe
Chermoula Sauce
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 silicon spatula
- 1 knife
- 1 chopping block
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup Italian parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper can replace with paprika and cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Roughly chop the herbs and place in the bowl of a food processor.1 cup cilantro, 1 cup Italian parsley
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the olive oil.1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon coriander, 2 teaspoons salt, 4 cloves garlic, ¼ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pulse the food processor until the contents are well mixed and chopped. You can use the silicon spatula to push the contents down towards the bottom of the bowl (not while it is on!).
- Start the processor running and slowly drizzle the oil into the running processor until creamy. Do not let the processor run too long.½ cup olive oil
- Enjoy!
Comments
No Comments