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Chimichurri Sauce | The South American Way |

Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used for grilled meat; it comes in a green version (Chimichurri Verde) and a red version (Chimichurri Rojo) and originates from Argentina and Uruguay. It is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar. The dominant flavours are parsley and garlic.

This classic South American Chimichurri Sauce balances a rich steak perfectly, but it works with lots of other grilled foods too such as fish and seafood. We discovered this dish at a restaurant in Johannesburg whilst on a business trip recently where we joined some old friends and business colleagues for a well earned night out on the town. La Boqueria is a very lively place to eat and the food was sublime.

Chimichurri Sauce

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By Marc Spendlove-Kruger Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 0 Minutes

Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used for grilled meat; it comes in a green version (Chimichurri Verde) and a red version (Chimichurri Rojo) and originates from Argentina and Uruguay. It is made of finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar. The dominant flavors are parsley and garlic. This classic South American Chimichurri Sauce balances a rich steak perfectly, but it works with lots of other grilled foods too such as fish and seafood.

Ingredients

  • 1 Small Pack Coriander, finely chopped (or Oregano)
  • 1 Small Pack Flat-Leaf Parsley or Italian Parsley, chopped
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Cloves, very finely chopped
  • 1 Small Sweet Onion or Shallot finely diced
  • 1 Average Size Green Chilli deseeded and finely chopped (Adjust the quality of Chilli to suit your palate)
  • 5 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (We like to use Huile de Vee)
  • 2 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar (or Rice Wine Vinegar is good)
  • Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
  • 1 Whole Lemon or Lime

Instructions

1

Pour the oil and vinegar into a bowl and add salt and pepper. Mix together and let stand to infuse the flavors while you prepare the other ingredients.

2

Add the zest of the lemon or lime and squeeze the juice into the bowl.

3

Chop all the other ingredients by hand and add to the bowl.

4

Place in the fridge in a sealed container (glass works best) until you are ready to add to your dish.

Useful Hint

We have experimented with the ingredients for Chimichurri Sauce and have come to the conclusion that Oregano works really well with meat dishes but is a bit heavy for fish and seafood.

For Fish and Seafood we replace the Oregano with Coriander and for Lamb dishes add Fresh Mint to the Coriander too.

Elbow Grease

We find that chopping all the ingredients by hand is time-consuming but well worth it in the end. Using a blender tends to make the finished sauce too limp and liquid. We usually make a large quantity and keep in the fridge for up to a week.  It is really useful to have available to add to other dishes for that South American flavour. If you do this please add extra Lemon Juice and Olive Oil which acts as a preservative.

 

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