Chimichurri Recipe
By Asado Argentina on Dec 9, 2005 in Seasonings
Here is my personal favorite recipe for chimichurri sauce(main article). You can mix it all together but I prefer to go through a 3-step process while preparing the sauce.
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1 small bunch flat leaf-parsley; chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion; finely chopped
4 cloves garlic; finely minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper; seeded and finely diced
1 tomato; peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Teaspoon bay leaf (laurel); very small flakes
1 Tablespoon coarse salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
hot chili flakes to taste (Aji Molido if you can find it)
Make sure all of the fresh ingredients are well washed and clean before preparing.
Add all of the ingredients except the oil and vinegar into a large bowl and toss well to make sure that the salt is spread evenly around the ingredients. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Next add the vinegar and water. Mix well. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Finally add the oil and mix well. Make sure that the liquids cover the rest of the ingredients. If not add equal parts of oil, water, and vinegar until they are covered at least by a quarter of an inch. Transfer to a non-reactive clean bowl or jar that can be covered. Make sure to cover well. Place in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend overnight. For better results prepare at least 2 or 3 days ahead of time.
The Boiling Liquid Method: Many in Argentina like to add an extra step to their chimichurri preparation that includes boiling the water and salt together -perhaps the vinegar too- before immediately pouring the mixture over the rest of the ingredients before the oil is added. This helps to tame the pungency of the garlic and parsley thus creating a more mild and smooth chimichurri. This method also works very well if you are short for time and need a well-balanced chimichurri yet do not have the time to let it sit for a day or more before serving. Give it a try
Related:
Parsley-Garlic Chimichurri Recipe
Great recipe.
Mirta | Feb 12, 2007 | Reply
can’t see the recipe
Tina Reilly | Feb 25, 2007 | Reply
How long does it keep for?
Shelagh | Mar 17, 2007 | Reply
I’ll say a week in the refrigerator. I know people who store it much longer than that but I won’t officially say so in case someone gets sick and tries to blame me
Asado Arg | Mar 17, 2007 | Reply
I tried this recipe over the weekend and I was very pleased with the result, especially after a couple of days. Great recipe!
Les | May 30, 2007 | Reply
Your site is fab. Another typical thing to do with chimichurri is to ‘bottle’ it in an old wine bottle, and cut slits (about 3)along a cork, so when put in, leaves a bit of a gap on the edges…..this way, you can ’season-while-you-bbq’ and also afterwards in the table….
My dad uses boiled water, as hot as you can handle it.
We come from west Pcia de Bs As, so maybe other areas have a different tip
Val | Sep 25, 2007 | Reply
>cut slits (about 3)along a cork
Thanks for reminding me, I totally forgot about that! I normally use a spoon or spray bottle but I remember being at an asado earlier this year where the asador had a little cork-topped glass Coke bottle filled with brine. I thought that was an ingenious method of creating a shaker bottle with materials on hand. That would be a great thing to post about, credit to you of course. Thanks again for the tip!
And yes, it would be great if others chipped in with their tips. There must be so many out there tied to certain areas or regions.
Asado Arg | Sep 25, 2007 | Reply
Hi! I like to double the salt. I know it seems like way too much – but it’s worth a try at least once. Goes great on cheap cuts of meat – fatty fish are much better with the chim!
Thanks for the recipe!
Stan | Oct 4, 2007 | Reply
Hi Stan,
It is an awesome sauce or marinade for fish!
Asado Arg | Oct 5, 2007 | Reply
I had chimichurri in Argentina and loved it. I got back and made this recipe for my friends and they all loved it. It’s the new “thing” at the BBQ.
Barb | Oct 6, 2007 | Reply
Hi Barb,
Good to hear! It’s nice to see chimichurri gaining popularity on the international bbq scene. I was browsing a few gourmet sites a while back for gift baskets and noticed that a lot of the bbq sauce sets include some sort of chimichurri.
Asado Arg | Oct 8, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for the ideas – I will try your fresh recipe but have just bought a packaged mix in Brazil (curitiba) Any suggestions?
tanzi | Nov 3, 2007 | Reply
Can you use this for dipping bread into too?
Lilliput | Nov 15, 2007 | Reply
I bought several packages from MacTost in the boxes in Florianopolis. I’m planning to use it on our Christmas Day rib roast. Yum-O!
Marie Van Huis | Dec 24, 2007 | Reply
chimichurri i use for steak sauce serve warm parley,fresh oregano.chopped garlic salt & pepper also sherry wine vineger…try its
shamqba | Jan 7, 2008 | Reply
>tanzi
I have a post about the uses of the dry mix here http://www.asadoargentina.com/chimichurri-mix-rub/
>Lilliput
Sure can! That is how I do my tasting when preparing
>Marie Van Huis
I hope your roast came out well!
>shamqba
You serve the chimichurri warm or you prepare it with warm liquids? I’m refining a recipe for the latter that I’ll post soon! Too bad fresh oregano is hard to come by where I live.
Asado Argentina | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
Yum! Thanks for letting me know. I recently went to an Argentinian restaurant in London and they had this sauce on the steaks and also with a bread basket – I was hooked, it’s the best thing I have ever tasted!!
Lilliput | Jan 15, 2008 | Reply
Took a trip to Mallorca (Spain) and visited an Argentinian Restaurant there. Had chimichurri served to the bread and I was hooked. Can’t get hold of any dry mix here in Sweden (that I know of) so I was really glad to see the recipe here. Many thanks
Peter (sweden) | Feb 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi Peter,
Not at all as good as fresh, but I did post a dry mix recipe a while back in case you are interested.
Asado Argentina | Feb 11, 2008 | Reply
hard to come back from argentina to europe, but this recipe help me survive.
arild | Feb 28, 2008 | Reply
Another good “hot” variation to try is as follows:
4-8 cloves fresh garlic (I use 6)
2 fresh, green jalapenos – stemmed and seeded
2 fresh arbol chiles (red Thai chiles) – stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup fresh oregano
1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil (better result than EVOO)
salt to taste
1) Finely mince garlic, jalapenos and arbol chiles (I mince them on the cutting board all together so that the size is consistent – also, saves work!) and transfer to non-reactive dish.
2) Add red wine vinegar to the dish with the minced spices.
3) Finely chop the oregano and add to dish.
4) Finely chop the parsley and add to dish.
5) Stir in olive oil and salt to taste.
A couple of notes: the oregano can be a bit more finely chopped than the parsley, but you should still be able to identify the parsley visually when you are done chopping. Also, you may chop the oregano and parsley together. I choose to chop them separately, transfer them to a prep bowl, and then add them to the dish, so that I can control the flavors and season accordingly.
(This recipe was my best attempt to match the recipe at Las Vacas Gordas in Miami, Florida, USA. If you’re ever in Miami, and you enjoy great Argetine food, it’s worth a stop!)
MCulver80 | Mar 8, 2008 | Reply
Thanks MCulver80, that looks good!
Asado Argentina | Mar 10, 2008 | Reply
Just would like to comment that this chimichrri recepie is called “chimichurri criollo”.
“Salsa criolla” is tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, and oil.
The basic “chimichurri” is oil, parsley, and garlic.
Also “chimichurri provensal” is oil, parsley, basil, and garlic.
Those are the base for each version of the recepie, then you can add more spices depending on your taste. Like vinegar, lemon juice, salt, ground pepper, chili flakes, oregano, bay leaf, etc.
If you are in Miami, FL stop by “The Knife” they have 4 different chimichurri sauces, a variety of argentine dishes and the best part is all you can eat too!!! They have several locations.
But for the best Argentine food in Miami, you have to stop by “Parrilla Liberty” on Miami Beach on Liberty Street. Voted Best “Argentine Restaurant” of 2007 by the New Times.
Max | Mar 26, 2008 | Reply
What happend to using AJI MOLIDO ?, the real argetine chili flakes. It makes a huge difference in taste. Try using white vineger and canola oil.
Boludo BBQ | Apr 2, 2008 | Reply
Che boludo (haha),
aji molido = “hot chili flakes to taste”
Asado Argentina | Apr 2, 2008 | Reply
Hola Che,
The argentine aji molido is a sweeter type of red chili flake thats really mild. Its really good flavor. If you never had it before I maybe could send you a pack. Im making an Asado this weekend ahhh I cant wait. I have this really good Argentine Melbec I found at Bev Mo called Melipal. Try it pelotudo, jajaja
Boludo BBQ | Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
I know what you mean, I live in Argentina so I can get all the aji molido I want, but these recipes are mainly geared for those outside of Argentina who don’t have easy access to some local items.
This site is a work in progress and I plan on writing list describing commonly used spices one day. I tend to bounce around a bit and there is still so much to cover.
Thanks for the wine tip, I’ll try to look for that!
Asado Argentina | Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha | May 9, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for having this site up- live in Canberra (Australia) although am from Argentina. Am marrying an Australian (half Irish- half Aboriginal) and we are having our engagment party this weekend.
Of course am making my usual starters
of ensalada rusa, empanadas, dips (very australian these days to serve dips such as babaganoosh, tzasiki, hommos and turkish bread as an accompianment, together with dolmades, sushi, curry puffs- reflects our multiculturalism) but of course no one has tried Chimichurri!!!! This is because there aren’t many Argentine restaurants in Australia (seriously- I think there’s only handful scattered around this large country) and although ppl may be familiar that we’re into our meat not many have tried asado with all it’s meaty glories.
So thanks for the recipe for chimichurri
- think my guests won’t know what hit them once they’ve tried it. Can’t wait-!!!
Alex | Jul 1, 2008 | Reply
As someone who is hoping to go to Argentina some day and hopefully living there some day, I am always trying new things out. This was my latest. I loved it. I let it sit for two days and let chicken marinade in half of it before grilling and used the other half as topping on the chicken. It tasted great! Thanks!
jblaha | Jul 2, 2008 | Reply
@Alex: Thanks for the comment and congrats on your engagement! That’s one tasty menu you have planned.
@jblaha: Good to hear and thanks!
Asado Argentina | Jul 2, 2008 | Reply
Looks good.
Carmelo Lisciotto
Carmelo Lisciotto | Jul 27, 2008 | Reply
hi, would this chimmi recipe go well with meat balls… thanks, rose..
Rose | Nov 8, 2008 | Reply
Great recipe, make sure to mince everything really well, I even threw in some fresh oregano, and had to triple the volume of the liquids. Very tasty! Thanks!
Ralph | Nov 13, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Ralph!
Asado Argentina | Nov 13, 2008 | Reply
What does this go well with? Post favorites, please! Thx!
Andy | Dec 29, 2008 | Reply
This sauce is superb. Even better that the sauces that I tried while dining out in BA. Definintely needs to mellow for a day before serving. Excellent on sausage sandwiches! Thanks for sharing.
HANK | Jan 3, 2009 | Reply
Does anyone know the name of a company that can set up an asado for a party of 150 at a private home in Miami?
Terry Riley | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
My husband used someone for the office party (50), he is from argentina. he has the card at his office I can get it for you if you are still interested he comes with everything meats, sausages, chefs, and delicous sauces.
catherine | Apr 12, 2009 | Reply
Caterine: Can I have your phone number? I have a perty running August 1st and Im interested on hiring him ASAP…thanks!!
Andrea | Jul 19, 2009 | Reply
Very good receipe, the best I’ve seen and try since I know Chimichurri. Congratulations. Thank you for giving it to us who like to cook and always find something new to prepare.
Teresa Baungaard | Sep 4, 2009 | Reply