Chermoula sauce is a bright, citrusy North African herb marinade, similar to cilantro chimichurri. Use this chermoula recipe as a wet marinade or finishing sauce for fish and seafood, chicken, beef, lamb, or roasted veggies.
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This North African herb sauce is commonly used in Tunisian, Algerian, and Moroccan cuisines. Fresh herbs, warm spices, and bright citrus combine to make this super quick chermoula - a secret weapon that enhances a wide variety of meats, veggies, and more. Oh, and did I mention it's both gluten-free and vegan?
You can serve this easy chermoula sauce recipe with salmon, maftoul (Palestinian couscous), masgouf, arook, and more.
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🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Herbs: Fresh cilantro and fresh parsley. Italian parsley or curly-leaf parsley are both fine.
- Garlic: 2-4 fresh garlic cloves. Optionally, you could add 4 roasted garlic cloves too for a more complex flavor. Garlic powder can be used if necessary, but fresh is ideal.
- Lemon juice: I recommend using fresh lemon so it can be charred. Bottled lemon juice could technically be used, but I'd advise against it.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
- Spices: Sweet paprika, cumin, and salt are essential, but you could add a little ground coriander and cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes too.
- Optional ingredients: If you want to stray a bit from tradition, you can add a little saffron, pomegranate molasses, shallot, or minced jalapeño.
🍋 How To Make Chermoula Sauce
Step 1: Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a nonstick pan. Slice a lemon in half, then place the halves face-down in the pan and roast over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes, or until adequately charred.
Step 2: Squeeze the juice from the charred lemon into a small food processor, then add cilantro, parsley, minced garlic, paprika, cumin, and salt. Pulse until roughly chopped.
Pro Tip: Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor.
Step 3: Add remaining olive oil and pulse until herbs are finely minced and sauce is spoonable.
🍽 What to Serve with Chermoula
This chermoula recipe is incredibly versatile and can be used as both a marinade and a finishing sauce.
Chermoula is delicious served with grilled or roasted meats, seafood, and vegetables. It's especially good spooned over grilled fish, shrimp, chicken, and this air fryer duck breast! But don't stop there; try it with lamb shish kebabs or Chicken Kofta Kebabs for a flavorful meal.
Chermoula also makes a wonderful accompaniment to rice dishes like vermicelli rice or lemon dill rice. For a complete Middle Eastern-inspired meal, serve it alongside a fresh Middle Eastern salad and warm Middle Eastern pita bread. You can even drizzle leftover chermoula over roasted potatoes and roasted turnips. Or use it as a dipping sauce for crusty bread.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
What's the difference between chermoula and green harissa?
While both are herbaceous and citrusy, green harissa is significantly spicier than chermoula. The texture also differs quite a bit; while chermoula is loose and wet, green harissa is more of a thick paste.
What's the difference between chermoula and chimichurri?
Chermoula sauce and chimichurri are both loose, oil-based herb sauces, but they taste quite different. Chimichurri comes from Argentina and Uruguay and gets its tang from red wine vinegar, with oregano and red pepper flakes. Chermoula is North African, brightened with lemon juice and warmed with cumin and paprika, which gives it an earthier flavor.
How do you pronounce "chermoula"?
Chermoula is pronounced exactly how you think: "cher-moo-lah." In some French-influenced North African dialects, the "ch" is pronounced more like "sh".
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Lemon yields can vary, so I recommend measuring the juice before adding it. It should amount to about 2 Tbsp.
- Charring the lemons is optional, but adds complexity.
- Aim for a finely chopped, textured sauce, rather than a puree.
- I recommend starting with less garlic, and then adding more to taste.
- Allow the sauce to sit 10-15 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld before deciding if you want to add additional salt or seasonings.
- Store leftover chermoula in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Olive oil will thicken when chilled, so I suggest letting it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- You can freeze individual chermoula portions in an ice cube tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Aim to use within 2-3 months for best flavor.
- If frozen, you can thaw the chermoula sauce in the fridge, then stir well.
🫑 More Sauces & Seasonings You'll Love
If you enjoy this chermoula recipe, check out these other related posts!
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a nonstick pan. Slice a lemon in half, then place the halves face-down in the pan and roast over medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes, or until adequately charred.
- Squeeze the juice from the charred lemon into a small food processor, then add cilantro, parsley, minced garlic, paprika, cumin, and salt. Pulse until roughly chopped.
- Add remaining olive oil and pulse until herbs are finely minced and sauce is spoonable.
Nutrition
Notes
- Alternatively, you can use a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor.
- Lemon yields can vary, so I recommend measuring the juice before adding it. It should amount to about 2 Tbsp.
- Charring the lemons is optional, but adds complexity.
- Aim for a finely chopped, textured sauce, rather than a puree.
- I recommend starting with less garlic, and then adding more to taste.
- Allow the sauce to sit 10-15 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld before deciding if you want to add additional salt or seasonings.
- Store leftover chermoula in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Olive oil will thicken when chilled, so I suggest letting it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
- You can freeze individual chermoula portions in an ice cube tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Aim to use within 2-3 months for best flavor.
- If frozen, you can thaw the chermoula sauce in the fridge, then stir well.
Nena Sterner says
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