Chermoula (Moroccan Herb and Spice Sauce)

I started building out a little Moroccan corner of this blog almost by accident, first chicken bastilla (recipe on the site), then harira (recipe on the site), then zaalouk (recipe on the site), and every single time a Moroccan friend of mine tasted what I had made, she would ask the same question: where is your chermoula? I finally admitted I had never made it, and she promptly fixed that in her own kitchen, over mint tea and a lot of very patient corrections to my knife skills.

Chermoula is a bright, herb-heavy sauce found across Morocco and much of North Africa, built from cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, and lemon, all bound together with good olive oil. It is classically brushed onto fish before grilling or baking, especially in Moroccan coastal towns, but it is just as much at home on roast chicken, grilled vegetables, or spooned over a bowl of warm chickpeas.

I keep a jar of this in the fridge most weeks in the summer, since it turns whatever plain protein or vegetable I have on hand into something that tastes like I planned dinner three days in advance. A splash of extra olive oil poured over the top before it goes back in the fridge keeps the color bright green for longer, which matters more than I expected the first time I saw a sad, browned batch.

Chermoula Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes · Cook time: 0 minutes, no cooking required · Total: 10 minutes · Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups · Calories: ~90 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon peel (optional)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine the cilantro, parsley, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne, lemon juice and zest, and preserved lemon if using. Pulse to combine.
3. With the machine running, slowly stream in the olive oil until you have a thick, spoonable sauce. Season with salt to taste.
4. Use right away as a marinade or sauce, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Notes

• Chermoula is classically brushed onto fish before grilling or baking, but it is just as good on roast chicken, grilled vegetables, or spooned over warm chickpeas.
• For a marinade, coat fish or chicken and let sit 30 minutes to overnight in the fridge before cooking; for a finishing sauce, stir in a little extra olive oil and lemon juice right before serving.
• Preserved lemon adds a distinctive salty tang and is worth seeking out at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean grocers, but the sauce is delicious without it too.
• A layer of olive oil poured over the top before refrigerating helps it keep its bright green color for longer.