Moroccan Chermoula

Name: Moroccan Chermoula
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons (4 g) whole cumin seeds; 2 cups, packed (leaves and tender stems) (60 g) fresh cilantro, washed, thoroughly dried, and coarsely chopped; 1 cup, packed (leaves and tender stems) (30 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, washed, thoroughly dried, and coarsely chopped; 4 medium cloves (14 g) garlic cloves, peeled and halved; ½ lemon (about 1 rind quarter-wedge pair) (25 g) preserved lemon, pulp scraped out and discarded, rind rinsed and roughly chopped; 1 tablespoon (7 g) sweet paprika; ¼ teaspoon (½ g) cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional); 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, freshly squeezed; ½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; kosher salt, to taste, only after blending

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A vivid, garlicky Moroccan herb sauce blended from cilantro, parsley, toasted cumin, paprika, and salty preserved lemon. Use it as a marinade for fish, chicken, or vegetables, or spoon it over grilled foods as a bright finishing sauce.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 min
Wait: 15 min
Total: 32 min
Makes: About 1 cup (240 ml), enough to marinate 1½ lb (680 g) of fish or chicken

Save to My Kitchen Jump to recipe

Ingredients

8 servings

2 teaspoons (4 g) whole cumin seeds
2 cups, packed (leaves and tender stems) (60 g) fresh cilantro, washed, thoroughly dried, and coarsely chopped
1 cup, packed (leaves and tender stems) (30 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, washed, thoroughly dried, and coarsely chopped
4 medium cloves (14 g) garlic cloves, peeled and halved
½ lemon (about 1 rind quarter-wedge pair) (25 g) preserved lemon, pulp scraped out and discarded, rind rinsed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon (7 g) sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt, to taste, only after blending

Equipment (5)

Small dry skillet (8-inch / 20 cm)
Food processor (at least 3-cup / 700 ml capacity) or blender
Spice grinder or mortar and pestle
Rubber spatula
Airtight glass jar (1½-cup / 350 ml)

Steps

Before you start

Wash the cilantro and parsley and dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner or with towels. Wet herbs make a watery, dull sauce.
Use the tender stems of the herbs too, but trim off any thick, woody ends.
Preserved lemon is salty, so do not add extra salt until you have tasted the finished sauce.
If you plan to marinate raw fish or chicken, set aside the portion of sauce you'll use for serving before the marinade touches raw food.

1
Toast the cumin
- Place the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Shake the pan constantly for 1 to 2 minutes, until the seeds darken a shade and smell warm and nutty.
- Tip them onto a plate immediately.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Seeds are a shade darker and fragrant; a few may begin to pop.
Tip: Cumin burns in seconds and turns bitter. Remove it from the pan as soon as it smells toasty.
2
Grind the spice
- Let the cumin cool for 2 minutes, then grind it to a fine powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
- You should have about 1½ teaspoons.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: No whole seeds remain; the powder is uniformly fine.
3
Prepare the preserved lemon
- Cut the preserved lemon in half, scrape out and discard the pulp, and rinse the rind briefly under cold water to remove excess brine.
- Pat dry and chop roughly into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Rind is soft, pliable, and in small pieces.
Tip: Rinsing tames the saltiness. Skip it only if your preserved lemon is very mild.
4
Chop the garlic and herbs
- Add the garlic to the food processor and pulse 4 to 5 times until finely minced.
- Scrape down the bowl, then add the cilantro and parsley.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Garlic is in tiny, even bits with no large chunks.
Tip: Mincing the garlic first keeps it from being left in big raw pieces.
5
Add the flavorings
- Add the ground cumin, paprika, cayenne (if using), preserved lemon rind, and lemon juice to the processor with the herbs and garlic.
6
Blend with oil
- Pulse 8 to 10 times to break everything down, then run the processor while pouring the olive oil through the feed tube in a steady stream.
- Stop and scrape the sides once or twice.
- Process for about 20 to 30 seconds total, until the sauce is thick and spoonable with tiny flecks of herb still visible.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Sauce is thick, glossy, and textured, not a smooth purée.
Tip: Over-blending warms the herbs and dulls their color. Use short pulses and stop when textured.
7
Taste and season
- Taste the chermoula on a piece of bread or a spoon.
- Add a pinch of kosher salt only if needed, then adjust with more lemon juice for brightness or cayenne for heat.
- Pulse once to combine.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Balanced: salty-tart, garlicky, herbal, with a warm spice finish.
Tip: The preserved lemon usually supplies enough salt, so season cautiously.
8
Rest to meld flavors
- Transfer the sauce to a clean jar, press a thin film of olive oil over the surface if you have extra, cover, and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before using, so the garlic and spices mellow and blend.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Flavor is rounder and the oil has taken on a reddish-orange tint.

Good to know

Tips

Dry the herbs very well; leftover water dilutes the sauce and shortens its fridge life.
To marinate fish, coat with about 3 tablespoons of chermoula per pound for 20 to 30 minutes; for chicken or vegetables, marinate 1 to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Never reuse marinade that touched raw fish or chicken as a sauce; keep a separate portion for serving.
For a chunkier, more traditional texture, finely chop the herbs by hand and stir everything together in a bowl.

Make ahead

"Chermoula tastes best after a few hours. Make it up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: up to 2 hours while serving. Refrigerator: up to 5 days in an airtight jar, with a thin layer of olive oil on top to protect the color. Freezer: up to 3 months in an ice cube tray, then transferred to a freezer bag; thaw in the refrigerator or stir cubes directly into hot dishes."

Substitutions

preserved lemon → Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus an extra ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Gives similar brightness but lacks the fermented depth of preserved lemon.
whole cumin seeds → 1½ teaspoons pre-ground cumin. Skip toasting, or warm briefly in the dry pan for 20 seconds.
sweet paprika → Smoked paprika. Adds a smoky note; use the same amount.
fresh flat-leaf parsley → Additional cilantro. Makes a more assertive, cilantro-forward sauce.