Chimichurri is one of those versatile sauces that can easily become a cornerstone of your repertoire. It tastes fabulous, is full of healthy ingredients, goes with almost anything and keeps for a week. 

An exotic blend of: parsley, oregano dried or fresh, minced garlic, olive oil and red or white wine vinegar, Chimichurri originated in Argentina but its popularity soon spread abroad. You now come across it in many forms.

When I lived in Zurich, a favourite haunt of mine was Coco’s Grill, both for its lovely hidden terrace and its “Fleischplättli” (grilled steak on a board served with toasted bread and homemade Chimichurri). When washed down with a bottle or three of Sio Crianza I always seemed to have a good evening. The Chimichurri was a plate orgasm…every single time! Of course I begged them for their recipe, eventually persuading them to give up the ingredients but no more. I have been playing around with this sauce for at least a year…and it is now pretty much perfect (Swiss reserve being caste aside for once…)!

The main ingredients of my chimichurri are coriander and parsley, which are both: rich in antioxidants, have a detoxifying effect and are a mild diuretic.

Recipe
serves 4

1 big bunch (+/-100g) coriander – leaves & stalks
1 small bunch (+/-25g) flat leave parsley – leaves & stalks
3 anchovy fillets
2 garlic gloves
1 red chilli – deseeded
1dl olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper – season to taste

1. Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend until you have a smooth paste. Don’t blend too much, it’s nice to see some bits and pieces.
2. Rest in the fridge to let the flavours infuse – for at least 4 hours! Do not skip this step as it makes a huge difference to the taste!
3. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions
Add Chimichurri to whatever your heart desires:

• any meat, any fish or tofu
• on top of vegetable purées such as potato, parsnip, sweet potato or cauliflower
• a dip for your fries: potato, parsnip, sweet potato…
• roasted mushrooms
• grilled halloumi
• quesadillas or wraps

Tips / Variations

• When stored in an airtight jar in the fridge, this sauce will last for a week.
• Marinade your meat, fish or vegetables in the Chimichurri.
• Experiment: add more garlic, oregano or even chopped tomatoes to suit your taste.
• Don’t like coriander? Swap it for parsley and add some spring onions.
• Want a more rustic Chimichurri? Chop the herbs, anchovies, garlic and red chilli and combine with the rest of the ingredients.

Print recipe: Chimichurri Recipe

Did you know
Before fridges were in common use, a major function of sauces was to disguise meat, fish or seafood that had gone off. Nowadays sauces provide a culinary pallet from which a Chef can fully display those hard-won skills!

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