What Are the Ingredients In Chimichurri?
Originating in Argentina, chimichurri is a pungent, parsley-garlic sauce commonly served with grilled and roasted beef.
There are many interesting ways to vary the flavors, but a classic recipe for chimichurri sauce consists of finely chopped parsley, garlic, vinegar, oregano and red chili flakes.
Our version is a bit of a variation, as we use a dash of hot sauce instead of the chili flakes, and include a little fresh cilantro in place of some of the parsley (this is optional).
How to Serve Chimichurri Sauce
The most common way to serve chimichurri is with churrasco, a Spanish term that when directly translated means barbecue, but generally refers to grilled or barbecued meats. A churrascaria is an Argentinian or Brazilian steakhouse.
Popular cuts for churrasco are flank and skirt steaks. Once grilled, they’re thinly sliced and topped with chimichurri for serving. You can find our recipe here: Grilled Steak with Chimichurri.
Chimichurri is also a great pairing with grilled pork chops, chicken, and firm-fleshed fish like swordfish and mahi-mahi.
For something a little different, try our Chimichurri Burger. In addition to using the sauce on top of the burger as a condiment, we mix a modified version right into the ground beef before forming the burgers.
We also have a recipe for Mirin-Marinated Steak with Asian Chimichurri, a Southeast Asian-style version made with fresh ginger, basil, mint, and cilantro.
How To Store Chimichurri Sauce
Because chimichurri is so fast and easy to prepare, we recommend making it fresh when you want to use it, but if you do need to make it ahead of time, or have some leftover, here’s what to do.
Place prepared chimichurri in a tightly covered glass container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays, but it’s not something we recommend as we think it loses flavor when defrosted.
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves, packed
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, packed (optional – substitute more parsley)
- 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Dash of hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, hot sauce, salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the work bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings, add a little more olive oil if desired and pulse to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and use as desired.
- Store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe…. But I substituted a bit of chopped jalapeños instead of the hot sauce …. So yummy!
I like this sauce on pan fried shrimp over rice.