Chermoula

Name: Chermoula
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: a small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped; 2–3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1–2 teaspoons mild smoked paprika; a small bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped; 3–4 tablespoons olive oil; juice of 1 lemon; sea salt; 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Spirit & Spice

By Ghillie Basan

Published 2019

About

This is a classic Moroccan marinade for fish and chicken used particularly when cooking a tagine, but it works well for grilling and roasting too. The ingredients vary in different regions but I like the Andalusian influence of smoked paprika in the overall flavour and you can add a fingerful of saffron fronds if you like.

Ingredients

2–3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon

Africa
Morocco
Sauce
Gluten-free
Spicy
Vegan
Mediterranean

Method

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chilli with a little salt to a coarse paste. Add the cumin seeds, coriander and parsley and pound some more – the paste doesn’t need to be smooth. Stir in the paprika and lemon juice and beat in enough olive oil to make a thick marinade.