Description
This hardworking cilantro chimichurri works as a marinade, a finishing sauce for grilled meats and vegetables, and the best dipping sauce for crostini and plantain chips (mariquitas). Really, I use this Argentinian chimichurri sauce on just about anything… on a salad, over pasta and rice, and in a sandwich… ooh or on pizza! Everything.
Ingredients
1 cup parsley
1/3 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Prep:
- Pick the leaves from the parsley, enough for 1 cup firmly packed
- Pick the leaves from the cilantro, enough for 1/3 cup firmly packed
- Finely chop 2 tablespoons of red onion
- Juice 1 lemon
- Crush enough garlic for 1 teaspoon (about 2 cloves)
Chopping: Hand chop by bundling the herbs together and cutting finely.
Mix: Add the chopped herbs, onions, garlic and spices in a bowl. Add about ¼ cup of the olive oil and stir. Add more olive oil a tablespoon at a time until the herbs are covered, but not swimming in oil (about 7 tablespoons). Add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice, to taste.
Notes
Adjust seasonings to taste. You can use this sauce right away, but it’s even better if you let it sit for a few hours. If you’re going to let it sit, wait to adjust seasoning until you’re ready to serve.
You can store in the fridge for up to a week. The olive oil will congeal in the cold, so let it come to room temperature before using.
Make sure to only use the leaves of the cilantro and parsley and not the stems, these will make the sauce bitter. Also, hand chopping the herbs will keep your sauce from tasting bitter. The food processor, while easier, also tends to bruise the leaves and make your sauce mushy.
Keywords: Cilantro chimichurri, Argentinian chimichurri, Easy Chimichurri recipe, Easy Chimichurri sauce, Homemade chimichurri, Authentic chimichurri, Best chimichurri sauce