Making Chimichurri Sauce
This sauce thrives on the balance between sharp acidity and the clean, grassy notes of fresh herbs. It is meant to cut through rich, seared meats, acting as a direct foil to heavy fats.
Use the knife, lose the machine.
A food processor will bruise the herbs and turn your sauce into a green paste. Hand-chopping is the only way to get the distinct, clean bite this sauce requires.
- Chef's knife
- Large cutting board
- Glass mixing bowl
What goes in.
- 1 cupflat-leaf parsley, tightly packed and finely chopped
- 1/4 cupfresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic, minced to a paste
- 1/2 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbspred wine vinegar
- 1/2 tspred pepper flakes
- 1 tspkosher salt
Marinating the aromatics
Combine the garlic, salt, vinegar, and pepper flakes first. Let them sit for ten minutes before adding the oil and herbs to allow the vinegar to soften the harshness of the raw garlic.
The method.
Prepare the aromatics
Combine the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and vinegar in your bowl. Let this rest while you chop the herbs.
Chop the herbs
Strip the leaves from the stems. Gather them into a tight pile and chop steadily until the pieces are uniform but still distinct. Do not over-chop until it becomes a puree.
Combine
Add the herbs to the garlic mixture. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking with a fork just enough to bring the vinegar and oil into a loose, broken emulsion.
Rest
Let the sauce sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the oil to pull the essential oils out of the parsley and oregano.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Chimichurri
Add one small fresh red chili, seeds included, finely minced.
Citrus Variation
Replace one tablespoon of the vinegar with fresh lemon juice for a brighter, sharper profile.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use flat-leaf parsley; curly parsley has a bitter, earthy taste that ruins the balance.
If your garlic is older, remove the green sprout in the center to avoid a sharp, metallic bite.
This sauce is better the next day, provided you keep it in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use dried herbs?
No. The nature of this sauce relies entirely on the water content and freshness of raw herbs. Dried herbs will remain woody and fail to blend with the oil.
Should the sauce be refrigerated?
Keep it at room temperature if you are serving it within a few hours. If storing for longer, refrigerate it, but bring it back to room temperature before serving so the olive oil can liquefy again.
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