Chimichurri refers to a sauce made from fresh chopped herbs, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. It is traditionally from Argentina and Uruguay and is served with grilled meat and vegetables. There are as many variations of this sauce as their are parillas in Buenos Aires.
My version veers from the original by adding some asian inspired elements like sesame oil and fish sauce and then of course, the chopped grilled scallions. I am a big believer in throwing whatever herbs you have into this sauce. The classics like parsley and cilantro are critical but I always include mint, and sometimes include tarragon or basil if I have them on hand.
As always, it is very hard to measure fresh herbs and very hard for me to figure out how to pass on the amounts I use to my readers! Thank you for your patience and understanding. Figuring out some of your own amounts will make you better cooks!
The charred scallions - which really make this sauce what it is - are a super easy addition because if you are making chimichurri, you probably already have the grill going. Just pop them on for 10ish minutes. You can do this while your meat is cooking or even while you are still heating the grill.
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
parsley
cilantro
mint
5-6 scallions
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Method:
Chop parsley, cilantro, and mint, somewhere between rough chop and finely chopped. You want to have about a cup of herbs when you are done. Aim for 2/5 parsley, 2/5 cilantro, and 1/5 mint but again, this is a very rough measurement.
Combine the rest of the ingredients, besides the scallions, in a medium bowl. Whisk together with a fork. I like to do this at least an hour ahead of time so that the acid has time to break down the shallots and garlic a little.
On a grill over medium heat (you can do this while your meat is cooking or before hand) cook scallions until wilted and slightly charred, about 10-20 minutes. **if you are not using a grill, a cast iron pan is fine.
Roughly chop scallions into 1/2 inch pieces and remove any inedible parts like the little hairy nub at the bottom
Stir the fresh herbs and the scallions into the oil mixture and serve!
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