Chimichurri Recipe

Being an avid lover of Brazilian and Argentinian food, I always seem to find a decent size bowl of Chimichurri by my plate whenever I go to any Brazilian/Argentinian restaurant.

Chimichurri is a table condiment used in a lot of South American dishes. It traditionally originated from Argentina. There are two versions of Chimichurri, there is chimichurri verde and chimichurri rojo. For those that don’t understand Spanish, Chimichurri verde is a green version which is the one I am making, and the Chimichurri rojo is a red version, usually made with tomatoes and red-bell pepper.

It is, by far, one of my favorite sauces to have with food. My family does Churrasco quite often, and I am usually the one in charge of the Chimichurri. With that being said, there are many variations of Chimichurri, and many different ways people prepare it. Some people prefer a more tart taste, while others do not. This recipe I made has a very specific preparation, and is a little on the tart side; however, this is usually how my family likes it. I hope you enjoy it just as much as we do!

Chimichurri

Course Side Dish
Cuisine South American
Keyword Chimichurri, Churrasco, Grill, Quick, Sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 Cup

Ingredients

  • 1 Shallot finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp. Chile flakes
  • 3-4 Garlic cloves grated or pounded
  • ¼ cup Lemon juice
  • cup Red wine vinegar (add half of this if you don't want it too tarte)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • ½ cup Cilantro finely chooped
  • ¼ cup Flat-leaf parlsey finely chooped
  • ½-¾ cup Olive oil extra-virgin
  • 1+½ tbsp Dried oregano

Instructions

  • Combine chopped parsely, cilantro, shallots, and garlic. Mix the ingredients together, and sprinkle the salt on top, and let it set for 10 minutes. (check notes for why)
  • In the meantime, gather all the other ingredients and have them ready for efficiency and quickness.
  • By this time, you should see some of the moisture being extracted from the mixture. By this time, add the dry ingredients such as the chile flakes and oregano, and mix.
  • Then add the lemon juice and red wine vinegar, and mix.
  • Finally add the olive oil and taste. Add to adjust to your likening, whether thats more salt, herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, ect.

Notes

note 1: Salt is a very important agent for various reasons. Salt unravels (or denatures) the tight spiral structure of proteins, making their flavors tastier and more aromatic. In addition, it extracts the moisture.  I feel like it is necessary for this step to intensify the flavors of the herbs. 
[instagram-feed]