Meet chimichurri’s Moroccan cousin!

Charmoula is the trendiest new condiment you’ve never heard of. It’s kind of like chimichurri, in the sense that it’s roughly puréed herbs in oil. There are many variations and many more variations that you can make up and play with on your own. Here, we have the basic recipe: Cilantro, parsley, garlic, toasted cumin seeds and olive oil.

This clever little condiment can be either a drizzle or a marinade for meats and fish. I think the best part about charmoula is the color. It’s bright, grassy green color is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. If you make a charmoula using paprika, it turns bright red. This clearly begs to be a red and green holiday dish this winter.

When I first made this I was a little bit worried because the flavor was pretty strong and pungent. Not in a bad way per se, but pungent nonetheless. I was thinking maybe using it as a drizzle wasn’t going to work.

At the end of the day, it went really well with the seared tenderloin I had paired it with. And then I realized everybody at it all. There was not a vivid drop of green sauce left.