Chimichurri Sauce
The Recipe
Chimichurri
This classic Argentinian sauce goes with everything. Famous for it's use on steaks, as a pescatarian, I have no idea what to tell you about that, I happily drizzle it on salad, fish, dip bread in it, dip empanadas in it… at lunch today I nearly brought it out of the fridge for our pizza.
Ingredients
- 60-80 g parsley leaves thick stems removed, leaves and thin stems finely chopped
- 4-6 cloves garlic finely minced (for family dining, I use about half)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (3 Tbsp if you don't have vinegar on hand)
- ½ Tbsp lemon zest optional – anywhere from 1 pinch to a half lemon's worth (~½ Tablespoon).
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (3 Tbsp if there's no lemon juice handy)
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 10-20 g fresh green herbs optional – oregano, basil, cilantro/coriander leaf, chives all work pick one or two, don't go crazy, thick stems removed, leaves and thin stems finely chopped
- 2 spring onions green and white parts – finely sliced
- ¼ tsp ají molido or crushed red pepper flakes optional (keep in mind, crushed red pepper is spicier than ají molido)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 good pinch of sea salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Reserving the olive oil for last, put everything but the leaf in a lidded jar or bottle that holds at least 2 cups of liquid.
- Nestle in the bay leaf so it's covered, and set it in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. Once it's settled a little, check it to be sure that there's at least a fine layer of oil over all the herbs.
- Chimichurri can get a bit solid in the fridge, so pull the jar out of the fridge about a half hour before using it, to bring it back to room temperature, stir it from time to time to help it warm up.
- The first time you use it, give it a taste, and add a bit more salt or adjust however you like if needed.
Notes
Really, chimichurri is a parsley and olive oil condiment, some acid (red wine vinegar or lemon juice), garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, and salt is probably the truest recipe, but everyone embellishes. Keep those the central flavours and go from there.
It should be made to taste, this is something everyone tosses together and keeps on hand for a couple days, so it’s a “family recipe” and a “what’s in the house” thing. After it’s sat for a bit, a half hour to an hour maybe, give it a shake or stir and if needed add more salt.
I love it garlicky, but raw garlic can be a bit spicy for kids, so for family dinner, I’ll use half as much. This is also why I tend to skip or go light on the ají molido/ crushed red pepper.
Put in all the green bits of the green onions, and some of the white, cook by smells here, if your jar of herbs smells like it wants the stronger flavored white bits too, chuck them in.
I like to put lemon zest in, it can be a little exciting, I put in more than I meant to last time and was sure I’d ruined it, but the flavor settled beautifully.
The Waffle
I like this a little salty, but this really is something every household has their own recipe, so make it to-taste and note what you like. Most often used with steak, I love it on anything, especially cheesy things, but recently it was great on Haggis Neep and Tattie empanadas.
It can be a great starter for salad dressing, add a bit more acid and you’re off to the races. My mom recently used it instead of fresh parsley in her linguini in clam sauce, I was dubious when she told me, but it worked great.
Keep the jar tightly sealed up and in the fridge, top up with olive oil if the herbs are too close to the surface and you’ll easily get a week out of it. If you’re not using it on everything, a couple times a day, halve the recipe to be safe.