Chermoula paste

Tamara West

Chermoula is a North African spice paste commonly used to marinate poultry and fish. Flavoured with lemon, fresh coriander, garlic and chilli, it adds a burst of fresh flavour to so many dishes.

Ingredients

1 cup	Fresh coriander, roughly chopped (Main)
¼ cup	Parsley, roughly chopped
4 cloves	Garlic, chopped
1	Lemon, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp	White vinegar
1 Tbsp	Ground cumin
1 ½ tsp	Ground coriander
2 tsp	Smoked paprika
1	Red chilli, large, chopped
4 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 pinch	Salt

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until well combined. Alternatively bash all ingredients together in a large mortar and pestle. Use your chermoula paste for:

Chermoula grilled chicken

1. Marinate boneless skinless chicken thighs in chermoula paste for an hour or overnight.
2. Season with salt then grill or barbecue on high heat.

Chermoula fish stew

1. Cook 1 diced onion in a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until soft (3-4 minutes), then add chermoula paste and fry a further 1 minute.
2. Add 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1¼ cups fish or chicken stock and ½ cup pitted green olives, roughly chopped.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes before adding 600g fresh firm-fleshed white fish (e.g. warehou, bluenose, monk fish, trevally, hapuku), cut into 3cm chunks.
4. Continue to cook for a further 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh coriander.

Roast pumpkin salad with chermoula yoghurt dressing

1. Roast chunks of pumpkin and red onion tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, honey and salt and pepper, until soft and slightly caramelised.
2. Toss with roast almonds and salad leaves and drizzle with a dressing made of natural unsweetened yoghurt mixed with chermoula paste to taste.