A simple recipe for Chermoula- a bright and flavorful North African condiment used to give soups, stews, fish, chicken and grilled meats a burst of flavor and brightness.
Here’s another bright green sauce to add to your culinary toolbox. It’s called Chermoula! Chermoula hails from the Northern most countries of Africa – Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. My Egyptian father had a his own version of this as well which he would use to swirl into his lentil soup. Think of it as a North African-style chimichurri sauce, and once you give it a try, I know you will find a million uses for it.
Chermoula does lovely things to soups and stews, adding brightness, earthiness and vibrance. It also makes for a delicious marinade for all things grilled. Use it as a condiment -spooning it over fish, chicken, meat, or tofu. Swirl it into a pot of tender white beans, spoon it over roasted veggies, or even over your morning avocado toast.
Using toasted whole seeds elevates this Chermoula to another level, but don’t let this stop you if you only have ground spices…it will still taste great. Keep the chermoula mild or make it spicy, up to you! A very adaptable recipe!
Chermoula Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Category: condiment, sauce
- Method: blended
- Cuisine: north african
Description
A simple recipe for Chermoula- a bright and flavorful North African condiment that can be used to give soups, stew, fish, chicken a burst of flavor and brightness.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
- 1 cup cilantro (small stems ok)
- 1 cup Italian parsley ( or sub more cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (a thin slice about the size of a quarter)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Zest from 1/2 lemon (about 1-2 tsp)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon aleppo chili flakes -add more for more heat
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, adding 1/4- 3/4 teaspoon more if using as a marinade ( see notes)
Instructions
Toast seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring until fragrant and golden.
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until well combined, but not too smooth.
Keep in an air tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Notes
When marinating chicken, fish or meat, I use the ratio of 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 teaspoons
- Calories: 84
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 51 mg
- Fat: 9.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.8 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Delicious! It accompanied my braised lamb shanks and really brightened the dish. My first time making it and will do again for sure. Note, I didn’t really measure, just eyed it out, I don’t think you can go wrong with these ingredients.
So glad you enjoyed!
So easy and tasty, chicken ready for the tagine
Awesome to hear!
Love the white bean recipe- now to try that luscious green topping
thanks Anne Marie!
I really enjoyed this recipe, and I now keep chermoula in my refrigerator as a commonly used condiment. The first time I made it, I couldn’t find aleppo chile’ flakes, so I substituted Harissa seasoning instead. It turned out AMAZING! The second time, I made it with thr aleppo flakes per the recipe. I actually like it better with the Harissa seasoning, so I now make it with that modification. I used the Morton & Bassett brand of Harissa seasoning, but it looks like McCormick has a version as well. The recipe was simple to make once the cumin and coriander were toasted.
thanks Faith!
This is delicious! I’ve had it in grilled halibut and roasted potatoes. It’s wonderful and always gets rave reviews from guests!
Sounds tasty!
This sauce is to die for! I used it on top of the Moroccan salmon. Absolutely delicious!
We are starting to move towards a new “eating “ way of life.
Whole food plant based
I’m not the worry ,it’s easy for me to do this as our 3 now adult children have slowly progressed in to a vegetarian way of diet. I have learnt to cook for many tastes over the years . Two of our children still have a smattering of flexatarian mixed in
on occasion .The oldest son is sole Vegetarian
My husband has been a meat eater all his 50 yrs
That’s the challenge.
Any recipe ideas.
Mushrooms are a great meat substitute I have found but there must be more. ?
Thank you
I can’t wait to try this! So bright and beautiful! xo