This chermoula sauce is easy to make and packs a delicious flavor punch - fresh herbs, cumin, garlic and olive oil, it's great with fish, vegetables and so much more.
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If you are a regular here, I first need to apologize. I feel a little bad posting the recipe for my baked swordfish and asparagus with chermoula before I posted this recipe for the chermoula sauce in it.
I'm afraid it's just the way things worked out. But here it is! It's such a delicious sauce and you can use it in much more than just one dish, so I felt it deserved a post on it's own.
What is chermoula?
Chermoula is a North African sauce that is traditionally used with fish but these days you also see it with vegetables and grilled meat.
The exact ingredients vary from one place to another, but they generally include cumin, lemon, garlic, cilantro/coriander and olive oil.
Sometimes it is spicy, and some versions have other ingredients like onions. As you can probably get a sense of, though, it most definitely packs a flavor punch. Think of it a bit like chimichurri sauce or an Italian salsa verde, if you are more familiar with them, but with a more Moroccan-type of flavor.
I've called this a sauce but actually you can use it as a marinade as well, since it includes ingredients that really add flavor and help to tenderize. Apart from a bit of chopping, it's really quick and easy to make as well.
See just how easy it is in the video!
My version here is a relatively common mix of ingredients, without being spicy. We all loved it, my kids included.
We had it with the baked swordfish I shared recently, and for the kids, I mixed a little in with some baked salmon and couscous. Eggplant with chermoula is another traditional way to use it that's really delicious.
As I say this sauce is packed with flavor and can really brighten up almost anything you use it with. I can see us having it on hand when we get into grilling in the summer. While it's probably best fairly fresh (although it is worth letting it rest and the flavors mingle a bit), it also keeps a few days refrigerated.
So, mix up some tasty chermoula and give it a try - what will you try it on?
Try these other tasty sauces:
- Chicken satay with peanut sauce
- Grilled butternut squash, steak and zucchini with chimichurri sauce
- Pork carnitas with tomatillo salsa verde
- Plus get more sauces and other side dishes in the archives.
Chermoula sauce
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon garlic roughly chopped, 1-2 cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ lemon juice (ie from ½ lemon, should be around 1tbsp/15ml for 1 quantity)
- 3 tablespoon cilantro/coriander chopped
- 3 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Crush the cumin seeds with a pestle and mortar then tip them to add back in later.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Put it and the salt in the mortar and crush together to a paste. Add back the cumin along with the paprika, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. Mix together and crush them with the pestle so they become well softened but still with some texture. Add the oil and stir through.
- While you can make this and use it immediately, it's best left to settle an hour or so before using.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Phil
I just made this and stuffed pita bread with halloumi, capsicum and onions and it tasted amazing. Thanks for the recipe, that'll become our if my staples 🙂
Cheers from Australia,
Phil
Caroline's Cooking
That does indeed sound delicious! Glad to hear you enjoyed, we love this sauce as well.
Lindsay
Would this sauce be good with a lamb shoulder roast?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes I think the flavors would work well.
Arjhon Canoy
I never tried chermoula sauce yet. But we love herby sauce because the taste of it is so refreshing and healthy, We are definitely trying this.
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, I agree herbs are great, and sauces are a great way to use them. The mix here is so tasty.
Jacqueline Debono
This sauce sounds really good. Here in Italy we also use salsa verde or Salmoriglio: which is a Sicilian sauce. It's almost the same as yours but without the cumin and paprika. I love the idea of adding spices. Def want to try it!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, yes I make salsa verde a bit too and love that, but there is definitely something special about the spices in there too - do give it a try!
Brian Jones
That sounds rather foxy, I started cooking a load of North African food last summer but never got round to making chermoula sauce... Definitely going on my list for this summer, thinking it is the perfect sauce for BBQ'd meats!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, it's a great one to try over the summer with grilled fish and meats. Adds such a wonderful depth of flavor.