Chermoula
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.
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Does this freeze well? It’s one of my favorites for grilling meats and pasta or cous cous salads-so good! It would be so much more convenient to freeze in small batches and thaw as needed!
Gina – Do you think Berbere would work for the Ras El Hanout? It’s Ethiopian.
How long does the Chermoula hold in the fridge? I’d love to make it ahead of time!
Thank you!
uhhh, nothing vegetarian about shrimp
The tag(and recipe) is for the Chermoula, the shrimp is just showing a use for it.
You might want to remove the vegetarian tag from this one!
The tag only refers to the chermoula, the shrimp is just there to show a use for it.
Made this on shrimp tonight and served it with your cookbook summer cous cous. The sauce is delicious! Making it again on Sunday to put on grilled salmon. Husband likes it better than pesto and requested a Moroccan inspired pasta dish with this as the sauce. This is a keeper!!! 🙂
What is ras el hanut?
It’s a Moroccan spice I mention above and also link to.
Made both the ras el hanout and the chermoula. So easy and had all ingredients on hand! Moroccan shrimp and chickpea salad is next!!!!
Great!