Chermoula Marinade Recipe
Chermoula is Moroccan blend of herbs and spices which can be used both as a marinade and as a condiment to season salads, stews, tagines and grilled foods.
- 3 cups fresh coriander (cilantro), (roughly chopped, )
- 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, (roughly chopped, leaves only)
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika, (powder or paste)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water (optional not needed if using a pestle and mortar)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste ((double it for a red chermoula))
- 5 tbsp lemon juice, (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tsp harissa paste, (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric ((for a yellow chermoula))
- 1 small preserved lemon, seeds removed ((for a lemony chermoula))
- Roughly chop the herbs and crush the garlic, then follow one of the methods below.
- Place the herbs and the rest of the ingredients in the blend. Give a few pulses until you are satisfied with the texture. To help with blending, you can thin the mixture with a few tablespoons of olive oil, water or a mix of the two.
- Start by pounding garlic and salt. Add the chopped herbs and spices in batches and pound until you are happy with the texture. Note: It is important to chop the herbs properly before crushing them with the pestle, otherwise you will end up with a stringy chermoula.
- Use immediately or store in a jam jar or similar sealed container. If the paste is quite thick, you could top it off with olive oil. Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Going to It can be brushed over meat, offal, chicken, fish, and vegetables or, as a savor enhancer to fillings for stuffed fish, stuffed breads, and stuffed poultry, ground and roasted meat of all sorts.The yield and serving of this recipe is approximate considering the difference between manual and mechanical process of chopping or grinding. With these quantities and with a pasty but coarse and runny texture, I usually have the equivalent of a bonne maman jar nearly full. Place the herbs and the rest of the ingredients in the blend.
Give a few pulses until you are satisfied with the texture. To help with blending, you can thin the mixture with a few tablespoons of olive oil, water or a mix of the two. Add the chopped herbs and spices in batches and pound until you are happy with the texture.
Note: It is important to chop the herbs properly before crushing them with the pestle, otherwise you will end up with a stringy chermoula. Use immediately or store in a jam jar or similar sealed container.
If the paste is quite thick, you could top it off with olive oil.
