Sauce · Asado, hand-chopped
Chimichurri
Chimichurri is an uncooked Río de la Plata sauce of parsley, garlic, dried oregano, chili, vinegar and oil, spooned over beef at the asado. Chopped by hand, not blended, it stays loose and bright; hours of rest bring the flavors together.
At a glance
- Origin
- Argentina, Uruguay (Río de la Plata)
- Type
- Uncooked herb-and-vinegar sauce
- Yield
- About 300 ml / 1¼ cups
- Time
- 15 min + at least 2 h resting
- Keeps
- Up to 1 week, refrigerated
A condiment, not a marinade
Chimichurri is a condiment, not a marinade: it is spooned over beef, sausages and offal after they come off the grill. Its base is acid (vinegar) and fat (oil) carrying herbs and spices that have been chopped by hand, so the sauce stays loose and bright rather than smooth like a pesto.
It belongs to the asado of Argentina and Uruguay, where it shares the table with salsa criolla. Home versions vary from family to family; what they share is the balance of parsley, garlic, oregano, chili, vinegar and oil, and a rest of several hours before serving.
Three stories, no documents
The sauce is documented in the Río de la Plata region in the 20th century, but no written record fixes who created it or when. Its ingredients match the pantry of the Spanish and Italian immigrants who settled in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and the vinegar-and-oil dressing echoes Mediterranean salsas.
Three stories about the name circulate widely and none is supported by documents: that it comes from an Irish or British soldier called "Jimmy McCurry" or "Jimmy Curry"; that it derives from the Basque tximitxurri, "a mixture of several things"; and that English prisoners during the British invasions of 1806–1807 asked for "give me curry". Food writers, including Francis Mallmann, treat these as folklore. The honest answer is that the etymology is unknown.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-leaf parsley | 1 bunch, about 60 g / 2 oz (leaves) | dry it well after washing; finely chopped |
| Garlic | 4 cloves, about 15 g / ½ oz | finely chopped, not pressed |
| Dried oregano | 2 tsp / 2 g | rubbed between the palms |
| Chili flakes (ají molido) | 1 tsp / 2 g | mild to medium heat |
| Coarse salt | 1 tsp / 5 g | dissolve it in the vinegar |
| Red wine vinegar | 60 ml / ¼ cup | or white wine vinegar |
| Water | 60 ml / ¼ cup | hot; optional, softens the herbs |
| Neutral oil or olive oil | 120 ml / ½ cup | sunflower is common in Argentina |
| Black pepper | to taste | freshly ground |
Method
- Dissolve the salt in the vinegar (and the hot water, if using) in a jar or bowl.
- Add the garlic, oregano, chili flakes and pepper; leave for 10 minutes so the dried herbs rehydrate.
- Chop the parsley finely with a knife. A food processor bruises the leaves and turns the sauce into a paste.
- Stir the parsley into the vinegar mixture, then pour in the oil. The oil should just cover the solids.
- Cover and rest for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight in the refrigerator. Bring back to room temperature and stir before serving.
Green, red and dry
Green and red. The green version is led by parsley. Red chimichurri (chimichurri rojo) reduces or drops the parsley and adds sweet paprika (pimentón), more chili and sometimes finely diced red bell pepper; it is redder, smokier and spicier.
Dry chimichurri. A dry blend of oregano, parsley, garlic, chili and salt is sold in Argentine shops and rehydrated with vinegar and oil at home.
Other additions. Bay leaf, thyme, shallot or a little lemon juice appear in some recipes. Cilantro is not part of the traditional sauce; with cilantro the result is closer to other Latin American green sauces.
Over the meat, after the fire
Spoon it over sliced grilled beef — picanha, flank, skirt or vacío — and over chorizo in a choripán. It is also used as a light baste in the last minutes of grilling, but brushing raw meat with it from the start burns the garlic and herbs.
Common mistakes: blending instead of chopping, too much oil (the sauce becomes greasy and loses acidity), serving it immediately (the flavors stay separate), and using wet parsley, which dilutes it and shortens its life.
Frequently asked questions
How long does chimichurri last?
Kept covered in the refrigerator, chimichurri keeps its flavor for about a week; the parsley darkens after a few days. Because it contains raw garlic in oil, it should not be stored at room temperature.
Is chimichurri a marinade?
Traditionally no: it is served on cooked meat. It can be used as a marinade, but the herbs and garlic burn on a hot grill.
What is the difference between green and red chimichurri?
Green chimichurri is based on parsley; red chimichurri uses paprika, more chili and often red bell pepper, with little or no parsley.
Does chimichurri have cilantro?
Not in the Argentine and Uruguayan tradition. Parsley and dried oregano are the herbs.
Sources
4
- Mallmann, Francis; Kaminsky, Peter. Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way. New York: Artisan, 2009.
- Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina (IPCVA). Cortes de carne vacuna argentina — nomenclatura y usos. Buenos Aires. www.ipcva.com.ar
- McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2004.
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia. Flavored vinegars and oils: storage of garlic in oil. Athens, GA. nchfp.uga.edu
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