In today's post we look together at how to prepare chermoula, have you ever tried it? It is a tasty Moroccan sauce made of herbs and spices, used mainly for marinating meat and fish but also excellent with vegetables. 

Learn more about chermoula sauce: its origins and ingredients

As mentioned, it is a typical Moroccan sauce, but its use is widespread throughout North Africa and appreciated throughout the Mediterranean region.
Traditionally used for lamb tajine, it goes well with many dishes thanks to its spicy, aromatic flavour with delicate citrus notes.
What to pair chermoula sauce with

Marinating meat, fish and seafood is the most common use of this sauce, but it is also really good for adding flavour to boiled eggs, combined with vegetables, and some people strongly recommend trying it as a condiment for pasta.

Ingredients and preparation of chermoula sauce

To prepare the chermoula sauce you need:

150 grams of fresh coriander
45 grams of fresh parsley
6 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin powder
100ml olive oil

Alternative versions and optional ingredients

Basically, chermoula is a green sauce, but there are two more “colourful” variants of the recipe, a version with more paprila and harissa (and possibly some tomato extract) and a third version with the addition of turmeric. Ingredients that inevitably change the final colour of the marinade, giving it a tone tending towards red or yellow depending on the version chosen.

Various optional ingredients can be added to the basic version, chilli for those who prefer an extra touch of spiciness, fresh lemon juice, ginger and black pepper.

Some people will probably have turned up their noses when they read coriander in the list of ingredients; if you want to stermper the particular taste a little, you can use the two herbs in equal parts. Or use parsley alone if you just can't tolerate the taste.
 

Preparation

Traditionally, chermoula should be prepared using a mortar and pestle. If you don't have one, you can use a food mill but, in this case, you will need to add a little room temperature water to the ingredients.