Chermoula or Charmoula is a marinade used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. It is usually used to flavor fish or seafood, but it can be used on other meats or vegetables.
Chermoula is often made of a mixture of herbs, oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. It may also include onion, fresh coriander, ground chili peppers, black pepper, or saffron.
There are many different recipes that use different spices, and the proportions vary widely. In most recipes, the first two ingredients are garlic and coriander.
Basic Charmoula Recipe 1 garlic clove
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
4 to 5 TB extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, plus zest
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined
1 bunch
coriander
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Mix the garlic, cumin, four tablespoons of the olive oil, lemon juice and jalapeño in a food processor. Pick coriander leaves from their stems. Add the lemon zest and coriander and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pulse mixture a couple of times, scraping mixture down from side of the bowl in between pulses. Add the remaining olive oil if needed. The mixture should resemble a rustic pesto. Place in tightly closed container and refrigerate for up to two days.
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