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Chermoula Sauce



Typical chermoula sauce has a base of cilantro to which is added garlic and preserved lemon and cumin and saffron, to name but a few ingredients. I wanted to make a sauce that was an homage to chermoula, while omitting the authenticity of the cilantro, which not everyone likes.

I ended up with a sauce that was grassy and vibrant and a bright, beautiful green. It was fabulous with fish and could be mixed into pasta or couscous as well or swirled into mayo and added to a tuna salad.

I apologize for the lack of precise measurements; this sauce was flung together with gay abandon.

1 large handful arugula leaves

1 large handful Italian parsley

1 large garlic clove, peeled

1/4 cup red onion, roughly chopped

Peel from 1/2 a preserved lemon, rinsed

2 tsps lemon thyme leaves

Pinch of saffron

Juice from 1 lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Put all of the ingredients except the salt in a blender and pulse until the mixture is as smooth as you can get it.

Check for salt and add if necessary. You may not need it as, even rinsed, preserved lemon adds a lot of salt.

I used this by slathering a couple of tablespoons to an 8 oz arctic char fillet, wrapping the whole thing in parchment paper and microwaving it for 3 minutes but, should you make it, I think that you will find a lot of different uses for this.

Inspiration recipe, here.

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