Chimichurri: Perfect Sauce For Grilled Meat

Chimichurri is a traditional sauce from Argentina, which refines every meat dish there. Ideal for the summer barbecue season!

No meat without chimichurri, an unwritten law in Argentina. The green sauce refines the already delicious meat there to make it a delight for the palate. It goes well not only with grilled meat, but also with vegetable and fish dishes and can be made in advance.

Chimichurri: typically Argentina!

Chimichurri is pronounced “Tschimmitschurri”. The sauce consists of fresh herbs, spices and oil and is generally served with meat in Argentina. Often the sauce is already on the table before the meat is served. Then it tastes very delicious on fresh bread.

Chimichurri is not just a sauce, but also a marinade and does not have to be served exclusively with meat. Fish and vegetables are also extremely tasty with Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is also valued in the neighboring countries of Urugay and Paraguay. Variations of the Argentine recipe can be found not only in neighboring countries, but also in Central American countries.

Recipe variants

Every housewife, every cook has his own interpretation and his kitchen secret to create the personal recipe of Chimichurri. The color alone can vary from bright green to bright red, depending on whether only red, only green or a mixture of both colors of peppers are processed.

You too can see our recipe variant as a basic recipe from which you can create your personal version of Chimichurri. Tastes are different and so you too will invent your own variations with the basic recipe the second time, because you like that or which herb or spice more or less.

It is important that you do not prepare the chimichurri on the day you want to serve it. The longer the flavors have time to pass into the oil, the better. Put the finished sauce in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator. You can easily prepare it a week before consumption and keep it for several weeks.

Green chimichurri recipe

For a large jam jar or a small mason jar full of Chimichuri you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 bay leaves
• 100ml lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 200ml olive oil (cold pressed)
• ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano (fresh is better)
• 1 teaspoon thyme (preferably fresh)
• 1 bunch of parsley (smooth)
• ½ vegetable onion (not spicy)
• ½ green pepper
• Chilli flakes as needed

First, crumble the bay leaves and put them in a mortar along with the sea salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. If your oregano and thyme are fresh, all you need to do is chop them finely. Grind salt, pepper, bay leaf and, if necessary, thyme and oregano in a mortar as finely as possible and then add the crushed clove of garlic and process everything into a paste.

Cut the parsley and any fresh herbs as small as possible and also dice the onion and paprika into very small cubes. The smaller the better!

Then whip olive oil and lemon juice into an emulsion that appears creamy and milky. Then mix the garlic, salt and bay leaf paste into the emulsion and finally stir in the fresh ingredients onion, bell pepper and fresh herbs. Season to taste with chilli flakes.

Pour the mixture into a screw-topped jar, such as a jam jar, or use a small mason jar with a rubber sealing ring. Place the finished chimichurri in a dark, cool place for a few days, at least overnight, to let the sauce steep.

Recipe ideas

To give you a few ideas on how you can vary this basic Chimichurri recipe, here are a few tips :

• Use red peppers instead of green peppers.
• Replace chilli flakes with finely chopped, fresh chilli peppers.
• Complete the recipe with ½ teaspoon paprika powder.

• Use cayenne pepper instead of chili.
• Replace the parsley with fresh coriander leaves.
• Use good vinegar instead of lemon juice.
• Use colored steak peppers instead of black peppercorns.
• Experiment with fresh mint leaves.

If you want to use the chimichurri to marinate fish, meat or vegetables, i.e. if it is heated strongly, you should not use cold-pressed olive oil, but a refined oil that can be heated to a high temperature. In the trade it is offered under the name “frying oil”. No matter how you prepare or use the sauce: not only will you like it, but also your guests! Try the recipe!