Chermoula Marinade Recipe - Moroccan Version

Ingredients

• 3X
• 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

Optional ingredients depending on recipes

• 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)

Directions

1. Roughly chop the herbs and crush the garlic, then follow one of the methods below.

Using a Food Processor

1. 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.

Using a Mortar and Pestle (Mehraz)

1. Start by pounding garlic and salt. Add the chopped herbs and spices in batches and pound until you are happy with the texture.

Notes

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.

Special note about lemon juice: For cold dishes such as salads, wait until cooked vegetables have cooled before adding more lemon juice or vinegar and a bit of extra virgin olive oil. This little touch brings them to a whole new level.

Some recipes will require a chermoula without parsley and others will require a chermoula without lemon or vinegar (such as in the Moroccan kefta recipe).

For a hot chermoula, add more cayenne (soudaniya) and harissa (or a chili paste) to taste.

A Northern variation of chermoula includes thyme and black pepper and a good portion of flat leaf parsley.

You could make a red chermoula by adding a roasted and peeled red pepper into the blend.

Nutrition

Calories 634 kcal Calories: 634kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 7gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 2596mgPotassium: 1293mgFiber: 11gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 12060IUVitamin C: 182.6mgCalcium: 215mgIron: 12.7mg