Chermoula

A herb and spice paste made fresh each time, where the spices are toasted whole and ground but the herbs are never cooked.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch coriander, leaves and soft stalks
• 1 small bunch flat parsley
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
• a pinch of saffron threads
• 120 ml olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. THE SPICES ARE TOASTED AND THE HERBS ARE NOT. Whole cumin and coriander seed in a dry pan for a minute and then ground is a completely different ingredient from the ready-ground jar -- it is most of what chermoula tastes of. The leaves go in raw and are never heated at any point; chermoula cooked in a pan turns khaki and tastes of boiled greens.
2. IT IS MADE FRESH AND IS NOT A STORE-CUPBOARD PASTE. It is good for about two days in the fridge under a film of oil and then the coriander goes dull and metallic. Make what you need.
3. AND IT IS CHOPPED RATHER THAN BLENDED, if you have the patience. A processor bruises the leaves and the colour goes within the hour; a knife keeps it bright. A processor is still better than not making it, pulsed briefly and no more.
4. Cumin and coriander seed in a dry pan over a medium heat, shaken constantly, about 90 seconds, until they darken a shade and smell strongly. Tipped straight out -- left in the pan they burn.
5. Ground in a mortar with the salt.
6. Saffron crumbled into a tablespoon of warm water and left to steep 10 minutes. It gives far more colour and flavour soaked than crumbled in dry.
7. Garlic pounded to a paste with a little of the salt.
8. Herbs chopped finely -- stalks included, they carry more flavour than the leaves.
9. Everything combined in a bowl: herbs, garlic, ground spices, paprika, cayenne, the saffron and its water.
10. Oil beaten in gradually, then the lemon juice. It should be a loose paste that just falls off a spoon.
11. Tasted. It should be sharp, strongly cumin-led and salty enough to make you notice, because it will be spread thin over something bland.
12. Rested 30 minutes before use so the spices come forward.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Morocco · All recipes