Coriander Chimichurri
A Zesty take on the classic steak sauce.
The backbone of Argentinian steakhouses. Alongside the French classics, she strongly stands as one of the world’s greatest steak sauces. She is phenomenal, she is Chimichurri. Even her name is incredible, rolls off the tongue like olive oil!
This sauce deserves nothing but praise, so I mean to do it no disservice by making some Zesty adjustments… Please forgive me Argentina! And Uruguay (apparently too!).
We’ve swapped the parsley for coriander and added a few new friends to join us in creating this classic sauce. It’s sort of like Chimichurri’s Mexican cousin :)
Recipe
Serves 3 - 4
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
A bunch of Coriander
1 - 3 Jalapeños (diced)
1/2 tsp Honey
1/2 lime
2 - 3 cloves garlic
Olive oil - a healthy couple of glugs
Salt
To begin chicas, prep. Dice your Jalapeño, for this recipe I used 1-2 but if you’re feeling loca, use more girl! Spanish speakers please don’t take offence, I’m just feeling especially inspired writing this! Mince your garlic very finely using a sharp knife and salt to get it into a paste. Again, I’m no-one’s mother, so use as much garlic as your heart desires! Set these aside.
When I made this the first time I didn’t have a pestle and mortar and the second time I was making a batch too big to use one, so I haven’t made this with a pestle and mortar yet but think it would blow this recipe out of the park so will share with you what I will do next time I make this.
Blending is convenient for large batches but doesn’t let you control textures and makes everything a bit too watery, in my opinion. The pestle and mortar allows flavours to become more familiar with one another through crushing ingredients rather than cutting them.
In a bowl, squeeze the juice of half a lime, add around half a teaspoon of honey and your prepped ingredients. Add salt and let the flavours get familiar.
Once that’s done, you can start on the base - the coriander. In a pestle and mortar, gradually add coriander and olive oil, crushing with the pestle to create a smooth sauce. Make sure to cut the stems off your coriander to avoid a bitter taste. One you have crushed all of your coriander, add the lime - garlic mixture and mix with a spoon. Add salt/lime/honey/oil as needed. Taste for balance. Does it taste too sour? Add oil and honey. Is it too oily? Add more lime and coriander. is it too bitter? Add some honey. Always try to problem solve when things are going askew! Following a recipe is not a perfect science and everyone enjoys food differently!
Let this sit for 10 minutes for the flavours to become familiar with one another before serving.
Because this is Zesty Zaytoon, this sauce did not sit atop a juicy steak. It was first made to accompany a piece of baked cod and roasted baby potatoes! It was phenomenal. I made this in Marbella for the first time and loved it so much that it was the main dish at my Zesty Soiree. It would pair well with so many other things though - sautéed chard or fresh bread for example.
