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Chermoula Sauce

By Lan Lam

Published on March 28, 2016

Time

15 minutes, plus 1 hour resting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 1 cup)

Chermoula Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves 4 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Before You Begin

To keep the sauce from becoming bitter, whisk in the olive oil by hand.

Instructions

  1. Pulse cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. Add lemon juice and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and slowly whisk in oil until incorporated and mixture is emulsified. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature and rewhisk before serving.)
Chermoula Sauce

Chermoula Sauce

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Time

15 minutes, plus 1 hour resting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients

¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients

¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients

¾ cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Why This Recipe Works

This sauce anchors bright lemon juice and fresh herbs in a rich and fruity extra-virgin olive oil. A food processor quickly combines the bulk of the ingredients, but we didn’t add the oil because the processor would break it into such fine droplets that its bitter-tasting polyphenols would come to the fore. Instead, we carefully whisked in the oil to preserve its fruity flavors.

Before You Begin

To keep the sauce from becoming bitter, whisk in the olive oil by hand.

Instructions

  1. Pulse cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. Add lemon juice and pulse briefly to combine. Transfer mixture to medium bowl and slowly whisk in oil until incorporated and mixture is emulsified. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature and rewhisk before serving.)

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