Chermoula

Chermoula is a saucy, herby relish originating from North Africa, that I classify as a Middle Eastern pesto.

Chermoula is quite a bit more pungent though. Made with preserved lemons and tons of fresh herbs, chermoula is super versatile and can be used as a dip, sauce, marinade, finish off grilled meats, anything, you name it….

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You don’t have to use preserved lemons, I guess… But you should.

You can get this jar on Amazon for $12 and it’ll make half a dozen batches of this relish. You can use the peel, pulp, and juice in the place of lemon in essentially any recipe. And trust me, you’ll love it.

If you’re not going to use preserved lemon for this recipe, you will need the of zest 3 to 4 lemons and the juice of 1.

I haven’t seen these in Walmart yet, but I bet they’ll be showing up soon. I found them online at Walmart here though.

You can also use a regular food processor to make this, but I have this handy little Oster blender ($24) and it’s so compact and easy to clean. It’s the perfect size instead of dealing with your big bulky items.

How to serve chermoula you ask? Spooned on top of hummus or Greek yogurt and served with pita & veg Marinade salmon, tilapia, or chicken

Chermoula: Moroccan preserved lemon & herb relish

Ingredients: ½ C. fresh cilantro ¼ C. fresh flat-leaf parsley ¼ C. fresh basil 1 preserved lemon peel, rinsed off and pulp discarded

1 small shallot ¾ C. good quality extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground coriander 2 tsp. red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper 1 tsp. Hungarian Paprika ¼ tsp. tumeric 1 tsp. salt ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. In a food processor or Oster blender, pulse fresh herbs, shallot & preserved lemon peel for 5-10 seconds 2. Add all other ingredients and blend for another 5-10 seconds until well combined. 3. Store in the fridge for up to a week with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap. Freeze in ice cube trays to use when needed.