Chimichurri
Chimichurri is a chopped sauce, not a blended one — and that difference decides everything. Blitzed, it becomes a smooth dark green paste tasting of grass; chopped by knife it stays loose, with distinct flecks of herb suspended in oil and vinegar. The second condition: the garlic meets vinegar and salt first and oil only afterwards — the acid softens its raw bite.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Chopping 15 min
- Resting 120 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneChop the parsley by knife, not blender
Chop the parsley leaves into coarse, uneven pieces. A blender crushes the leaves to a paste that darkens quickly in vinegar and loses its fresh taste — parsley chopped by knife stays brighter and the sauce keeps a clear texture.
Ingredients: 1 bunch parsley · 2 tbsp oregano
Coarse, uneven pieces — knife, not blender.Steep the garlic in vinegar and salt
Finely chop the garlic and chilli, cover with the vinegar, add the salt and chilli flakes and leave for 10 minutes. The acid and salt soften raw garlic's bite, so five cloves will not dominate the entire sauce.
Ingredients: 5 cloves garlic · 1 pcs red chilli · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 80 ml red wine vinegar · 1 tsp salt
Garlic and chilli in vinegar — ten minutes to mellow.Combine the herbs with the vinegar base
Mix the parsley and oregano into the vinegar, garlic and chilli. At this stage it looks far too sharp and too thick — the oil has not gone in yet, and it is what balances the proportions.
Ingredients: 1 bunch parsley · 2 tbsp oregano
Add the oil and do not emulsify
Pour in the oil, season with pepper and stir with a spoon. The sauce is meant to separate — chimichurri is not an emulsion, so do not whisk it into a smooth vinaigrette. The layer of oil on top shields the herbs from the air.
Ingredients: 200 ml olive oil · ½ tsp pepper
Separated and loose — that is how it should look.Rest for two hours
Leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Freshly made, each ingredient tastes separate: vinegar, garlic, herbs. After two hours the flavours come together — and only then is the sauce ready.
Ingredients: 200 ml olive oil · ½ tsp pepper
Before you start
Chimichurri rojo
The red version: add a tablespoon of sweet (or smoked) paprika and an extra teaspoon of chilli flakes. It goes well with pork and chorizo.
Keeping it
Keep it in the fridge under a layer of oil and use within two weeks — raw garlic and herbs in oil out of the fridge favour the growth of botulism bacteria. The oil sets white — take the jar out half an hour before using and do not leave it out for long. The parsley colour fades after a few days, but the flavour holds.
Not only for meat
Excellent on roast potatoes, grilled vegetables, fried eggs and fish. It is simply a very good herb sauce — the Argentinian association with steak is tradition, not a limitation.