Fresh, zingy, herby, hot and vibrant, chimichurri sauce is one exceptional dressing. It makes nearly everything taste even more delicious. Serve it over your next grain bowl, drizzle it over soup, perk up your eggs with it or liven up plain veggies. It’s a quick and easy recipe you’ll want to make again and again.
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Dive Right In
- What Is Chimichurri?
- What’s The Difference Between Chimichurri and Gremolata?
- Why Make Chimichurri Sauce?
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Ingredients
- How To Make Chimichurri Sauce
- How To Use Chimichurri Sauce
- How Long Does Chimichurri Sauce Last?
- Other Parsley Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
What Is Chimichurri?
Chimichurri is an uncooked green sauce from Argentina and Uruguay. You make it with fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, chilli, red wine vinegar and olive oil. The condiment is now so popular you can find it all over Latin America. In fact, all over the world.
Isn’t chimichurri a fantastic name? It always makes me think of the chimney song in Mary Poppins, chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee.
There is much debate as to its origin, but it’s most likely derived from the Basque word tximitxurri which means hodgepodge. Most of the Basque people emigrating from France and Spain in the nineteenth century ended up in Argentina.
Traditionally it’s drizzled over steak, but surprisingly enough, I’ve never tried that. I do drizzle it over tofu steak though and it works really well.
What’s The Difference Between Chimichurri and Gremolata?
Chimichurri and gremolata are both made with parsley and garlic, but there the similarity ends. Their taste and texture are both quite different.
Gremolata is a dry Italian condiment made from just three ingredients. You combine finely chopped parsley, minced garlic and lemon zest. That’s it.
Chimichurri on the other hand is a wet sauce and includes both vinegar and olive oil.
So if you have a dish that’s quite dry, chimichurri is your friend. If, on the other hand, your dish is already oily or saucy then you probably want gremolata.
Why Make Chimichurri Sauce?
Chimichurri sauce adds depth, flavour and flair to a wide range of dishes. It’s a kitchen staple well worth mastering. Here are a few more reasons why you might want to make it.
- Easy to Make – Chimichurri sauce is quick and easy to prepare. It only requires a handful of fresh ingredients, a chopping board and a knife. It comes together in minutes, making it a convenient option for busy weeknights or last-minute meals.
- Enhanced Presentation – The fresh green colour of chimichurri sauce can add visual appeal to many dishes. It can make food look more appetising and inviting.
- Healthy – Fresh herbs, especially garlic and parsley, are packed with immune-boosting properties. The herbs, chilli and garlic are rich in various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and olive oil provides heart-healthy fats.
- Long Shelf Life – Chimichurri sauce keeps surprisingly well. And the longer you leave it, the better it tastes. You can store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for around two weeks. This makes it a great dish to make ahead of time. It’s a handy condiment to have on hand for adding flavour to meals throughout the week.
- Punchy Flavours – Chimichurri sauce is bursting with lively flavours from fresh herbs, zingy lemon, pungent garlic and spicy chilli peppers. Use it to add punch to any dish that needs pepping up.
Chimichurri Sauce
Chimichurri sauce is one of my favourites for freshness, speed and flavour. With so many bold flavours it adds pizzaz and interest to many dishes. Next time you’re wondering just what your beans need to make them more tasty, think chimichurri.
When I’m in a hurry, I tend to bung everything into the food processor and pulse a few times. However, I have to say it has a much better texture if you chop everything finely by hand. So mostly I go this slightly more involved route.
Having said that, whether you use a machine or cut it by hand, it really doesn’t take long to make. Five minutes max.
It’s not traditional to add the zest of a lemon, but if you’re using organic lemons, why not I say. It makes a flavoursome addition. Mind you lemons are my addition anyway. The tartness is meant to come from red wine vinegar, but I prefer the freshness of lemons. Lemon juice isn’t nearly as harsh on the palette.
How Long Does Chimichurri Sauce Last?
Assuming you haven’t eaten it all straight off, chimichurri will keep for twenty four hours before it needs to go in the fridge. This makes it a great make-ahead sauce.
To store in the fridge, place it in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. It will keep there for a good couple of weeks.
It’s quite likely the olive oil will solidify in the fridge so just bring your chimichurri to room temperature before using.
Ingredients
You only need six simple ingredients to make chimichurri sauce. Seven if you count the salt. They’re all very easy to get hold of.
Chilli
Chilli adds flavour as well as heat. If you don’t like things too spicy, use a mild chilli. A fresh red chilli is best for this recipe, but you can substitute with chilli flakes if that’s what you have.
As with the fresh chilli, use hot chilli flakes or mild ones, depending on preference. I use our homegrown ones that we freeze in halves. They’re already deseeded, so ideal for a quick addition to various dishes.
Garlic
As with so many sauces, garlic is an essential ingredient. Not only does it provide various health benefits, but it adds so much in the way of flavour.
Use fresh garlic rather than dried though.
Lemon
Lemon adds a real fresh zing to my chimichurri recipe. It’s not at all traditional, but I prefer it to red wine vinegar, which is the classic ingredient. You need a certain amount of acid to counteract the oil and make the sauce sing.
I like to use the zest as well as the juice. It adds another layer of flavour. If you’re going to do the same, try and get hold of an organic lemon.
If you decide to use the vinegar, rather than lemon juice, you won’t need nearly as much. Start with a tablespoon and taste test as you go along.
Olive Oil
There’s a lot of oil in this recipe, so use as good a quality extra virgin olive oil as you can. The more flavoursome it is, the better the overall flavour will be.
Oregano
Oregano is a flavour bomb all on its own. You don’t need much of it to add its distinctive aromatic notes. I use dried oregano as I can’t seem to grow it in my garden. But fresh is fine too if you have it.
Parsley
Parsley is the main ingredient needed to make this particular condiment. You need quite a lot of it.
You can use either flat-leaf parsley or curly parsley for this recipe. As long as it’s as fresh as it can be, you’re good to go. I use curly parsley as it grows really well in our garden. I also like the flavour.
How To Make Chimichurri Sauce
You can rustle up a bowl of chimichurri in minutes. However, it tastes better if left to marinade for a while. So try and make it a bit before you actually need it.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and quantities of ingredients used.
The first step is to wash the parsley. You just never know what might be lurking there. The next and most important step is to dry it thoroughly.
If the parsley is at all wet, the resulting chimichurri is likely to be watery and lacking in flavour. A salad spinner (affiliate link) is an excellent way to dry washed parsley.
Don’t forget the chilli, as I did for the cheat’s method. Deseed the chilli first, unless you like things really hot. Even if you only add a little bit, it makes a big difference to the flavour. Or go with a mild chilli instead of a hot one if you don’t like things too spicy.
If you don’t have a fresh chilli to hand, simple swap for a quarter teaspoon of hot chilli flakes instead. Or just a pinch for a milder experience.
Zest the lemon finely. A microplane (affiliated link) is your best friend here.
You can then prepare the chimichurri in one of two ways.
1. Traditional Method
For best results, place the parsley, chilli and garlic onto a large chopping board.
Start by roughly chopping the parsley, garlic and chilli by hand with a sharp chef’s knife.
Push the lot into a neat pile with your knife, then proceed to finely chop everything together. This can take a while, but keep going.
It takes time to chop everything really finely, but it produces a fresher and better textured sauce.
Scrape the finely chopped parsley, garlic and chilli into a small mixing bowl then stir in the lemon zest and juice, oregano and salt. Finally stir in the olive oil.
Top Tip
If you prefer the sauce a little runnier, add up to another tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Cheat’s Method
This is the quickest and easiest method to make chimichurri. However, it produces a rather mushy sauce, as you can see in the images below. Luckily, it still tastes good.
Roughly chop the garlic and parsley. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it makes it easier to get everything into the processor.
Place all ingredients except the olive oil into a small food processor and pulse until everything is well chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse again until you get your desired consistency.
Serve Chimichurri
Whichever way you prepare the sauce, leave it to marinade for at least ten minutes before serving. Really, the longer the better. This gives the flavours a chance to develop and coalesce.
Transfer the chimichurri sauce into a small serving bowl so that diners can help themselves.
The sauce will separate out. That’s fine and just as it should be. Just give it a quick stir before serving.
Top Tip
It’s not exactly traditional, but you can add a small finely chopped shallot, if you like. I sometimes do, if I have any to hand. It adds crunch and a mild oniony flavour.
How To Use Chimichurri Sauce
Chimichurri is a serving sauce, rather than one that’s used for cooking. It’s perfect for giving a bit of va-va-voom to dishes that might be lacking a certain something.
It’s particularly good sprinkled over roasted veggies, fried tofu or tempeh, plain soups or eggs. It livens up baked beans on toast no end. It’s also a great addition to a grain bowl or buddha bowl. This black lentil bowl, for example, is dressed with chimichurri sauce.
Or use it as a super flavoursome salad dressing.
Other Parsley Recipes You Might Like
- Homemade Egyptian falafel
- Italian green sauce
- Middle Eastern chickpea salad
- Parsley & almond pesto
- Walnut gremolata
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this chimichurri sauce, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making it?
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Choclette x
Chimichurri Sauce. PIN IT.
Chimichurri Sauce
Equipment
- salad spinner (affiliate link) optional
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch of parsley weighing around 30g
- 1 small red chilli seeds removed – or use ¼ tsp hot chilli flakes instead
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pinch dried oregano can use fresh instead
- ½ organic lemon zest and juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea or rock salt
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil (4 tbsp)
Instructions
- You can prepare chimichurri in one of two ways.
- 1) For best results, finely chop the parsley, garlic and chilli by hand with a sharp chef's knife. Then place in a small mixing bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. It takes time to chop everything really finely, but it produces a fresher and better textured sauce.
- 2) For ease, place all ingredients except the olive oil into a small food processor and pulse until everything is well chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse again. This produces a rather mushy sauce, but it still tastes good.
- Either way, leave to marinade for at least ten minutes before serving. This gives the flavours a chance to develop and coalesce.
- Pour the sauce into a serving bowl and provide a spoon so that diners can help themselves.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Erika says
Love this chimichurri! Super flavourful.
Choclette says
It really is a good sauce and so easy to make too. Good to hear you like it too.
sherry says
sounds tasty!
Choclette says
It really is a tasty sauce and so useful too.