Chimichurri Sauce
I think chimichurri sauce is my favourite steak sauce. It comes from Argentina and is made with fresh herbs, garlic, oregano, vinegar and oil. It's perfect for drizzling over grilled meats, fish, veggies, or even on a piece of sourdough. It's very quick to make but it will need 2 hours to sit at room temp before serving. This allows the vinegar and salt to draw the flavours out of the herbs and bring everything together.
Ingredients
- 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley
- ½ red chilli
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 3 tbsp (1.5 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp(1 fl oz) red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Equipment
-
Sharp Chef's knife
-
Chopping board
-
Medium mixing bowl
Directions
Notes
Chop herbs by hand
Chimichurri is a chopped sauce, not a blended one. Using a blender or food processor to chop up the parsley will bruise it and you'll end up with dull version of the sauce. Just make sure your knife is sharp before chopping.
Adjust the chilli
You can dial the heat up or down by adjusting how much chilli you add and the type of chilli. The chilli in this recipe is intended to be a background warmth rather than an intense heat, so start with half a chilli and increase to the spice level that you’re comfortable with. For more heat, add a whole chilli or a bird's eye, instead of using the seeds. Chilli seeds tend to be bitter and woody when eaten raw so avoid them for this recipe.
Storage
Place the leftover chimichurri in a tightly sealed container and store in the fridge for 1-3 days. It can last in the fridge for up to 1 week, although I wouldn't recommend it as the parsley will become bruised and the sauce will lose its freshness after just a couple of days. I prefer to make small batches, often instead of making big batches and having leftovers. Some sauces store well, this is not one of them.
Ingredient Notes
Flat-leaf parsley:
Also called Italian or continental parsley. You want to get bright green, fresh leaves and you need 1 bunch. We're only using the leaves in this recipe so you can save the stems for stock.
Red wine vinegar:
You want to use a good quality red wine vinegar as it plays a big part of the flavour. You can also use a Sherry vinegar.
Fresh chilli:
Cayenne, red serrano, long red or any medium-heat chilli will work. If you want it mild just use half a chilli, and if you want more heat add a whole chilli or a birds eye chilli.
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO):
This is another key component so I would recommend using a good quality EVOO.
FAQs
Can i use fresh oregano instead of dried?
Do I have to wait 2 hours before serving?
What do I serve with chimichurri?
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 1 serving
- Calories
- per serving
- 104
- Carbs
- 1.5 grams
- Protein
- 0.4 grams
- Fat
- 10.7 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 1.5 grams
- Fiber
- 0.5 grams
- Sugar
- 0.4 grams
- Sodium
- 199 milligrams
- Cholesterol
- 0 milligrams
- Potassium
- 66 milligrams
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