Chimichurri

Name: Chimichurri
Total time: 35 min
Yield: About 1 cup
Cuisine: south american
Ingredients: 1/4 cup dried oregano; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (more or less to taste); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional); 1/2 cup hot water; Kosher salt; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 8 medium garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons olive oil (it need not be extra-virgin, but it can be), plus more as needed; 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves, finely minced; 1 tightly packed cup fresh parsley leaves, finely minced; Ground black pepper

By J. Kenji López-Alt

Updated Jan. 22, 2024

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 4(2,913)
Comments: Read comments

Chimichurri is a herbaceous and vinegary sauce from Argentina that’s classically paired with grilled meats, especially beef, but its uses don't end there. You can combine it with a dollop of mayonnaise to marinate chicken cutlets. (That same mayo-and-chimichurri mixture makes an excellent potato salad dressing, or toss it with sliced scallions and grilled or boiled corn cut from the cob.) Combine chimichurri with equal parts olive oil to use as a marinade and dressing for grilled vegetables. Add a few crushed cloves of garlic to that same mixture, brush it on a split ciabatta or baguette, and grill or broil it for an oregano-packed take on garlic bread. It may be tempting to think of a chimichurri as a sort of Argentine parallel to Italian pesto, but it is not: While pesto is made in a mortar and pestle and emulsified into a creamy mixture with a base mostly comprised of olive oil, chimichurri is made with chopped dried herbs that are steeped in hot salty water (the brine is called salmuera) and vinegar, with less olive oil added. Its texture comes from the dried herbs rehydrating in salt water. Chimichurri can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks; it will lose its bright green color, but it will improve in flavor with time.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 1 cup

¼cup dried oregano
1teaspoon sweet paprika
½teaspoon red-pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
½teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
½cup hot water
Kosher salt
¼cup red wine vinegar
8medium garlic cloves
2tablespoons olive oil (it need not be extra-virgin, but it can be), plus more as needed
¼cup fresh oregano leaves, finely minced
1tightly packed cup fresh parsley leaves, finely minced
Ground black pepper

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Preparation

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Step 1
Combine dried oregano, paprika, red-pepper flakes and cumin, if using, in a large bowl. Add hot water and a big pinch of salt and stir with a fork. Add vinegar and stir to combine.
Step 2
Smash garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle to form a rough paste, then drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and work the garlic and oil around the mortar until it emulsifies and no loose oil remains. Scrape this garlic mixture into the bowl with the oregano mixture and stir to combine. (Alternatively, smash garlic cloves on a cutting board with the flat side of a chef’s knife. Sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt, then use the side of your knife to scrape the mixture back and forth until a paste forms. Drizzle a little olive oil over the paste and work it in with the side of the knife. Repeat until you’ve added about a tablespoon of olive oil, then scrape the mixture up and transfer it to the bowl with the oregano mixture, add the remaining olive oil, and stir to combine.)
Step 3
Add minced fresh oregano and parsley and stir to combine. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight, to allow the dried oregano to rehydrate and the flavors and texture to develop. Stir vigorously before tasting, then adjust seasoning with salt and fresh black pepper. Unused chimichurri can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Ratings

4 out of 5

2,913 user ratings

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Comments

electricdestiny4 years ago

The oddest chimichurri recipe I’ve seen. This is my go/to recipe: 1 bunch cilantro chopped fine 1 bunch parsley chopped fine 6-8 garlic cloves minced 1 jalapeño without seeds minced half a white or red onion minced Olive oil til herbs are covered 2-3 glugs/splashes of vinegar. Enough to make the herbs look wet. Then salt, I’d start with one table spoon then go tsp at a time, same w/ fresh ground pepper, maybe 1 tablespoon of cumin and dried oregano, I’ve put coriander before. Always a hit!

Emily5 years ago

Followed the recipe to a T and quadruple-checked the steps and proportions after finding it *completely* inedible as written. (I normally *love* Kenji's recipes!) Did so much doctoring--mostly adding a ton of olive oil and more fresh parsley to mellow it out--and was able to get it to a good place but am left baffled by this! ...a little snooping reveals really different ratios by this same author on other sites. Less garlic, less dried oregano. Maybe this one's a mistake.

Grandmadoc5 years ago

Food processor?

Mary5 hours ago

I hate to say it but this was not my favorite. Way too much oregano made it too harsh to really enjoy. Cut back significantly and it’s milder and not so in your face!

Jen1 week ago

horrible, the recipe is wrong, the dried oregano's not correct

Bill2 weeks ago

It’s hard to make, but at least it’s terrible. I try to cook recipes as written the first time, and that was a mistake this time—the water is way too much and possibly completely unnecessary. Ended up with a strange, inedible herb soup. Wish I’d read the comments before making…. Fortunately we also made a beurre composée which was delicious and saved our steak.

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