Chermoula is a sauce, similar to a pesto, used in North African cooking as a marinade to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used on other meats, vegetables or stirred into couscous.
Last week I had a Grilled Shrimp Chickpea Salad at Lana’s in Charleston, SC (I will be sharing that recipe tomorrow) that was flavorful and healthy, I asked Chef Ondo for the recipe. Since this sauce can be used in so many ways, I thought I would share it on it’s own first as I know I plan on using the rest in other dishes this week.
I scaled this down from his original and reduced the olive oil a bit to lower the calories. I’ve seen other recipes that use a combination of cilantro and parsley, but I really love the mint in his version. This is a great use for those extra herbs you may have in your fridge, it will stay refrigerated about 7 days in an air-tight container. Note, Ras el Hanout is a Moroccan spice blend. You can make it yourself or purchase it from brands such as McCormick or Frontier.
Chermoula
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- 1/2 cup packed mint leaves, no stems
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 small cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients and puree in small blender (I used my magic bullet) until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. If necessary add a drop of water of it’s too thick.
