By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 4
55 cal · 10 min
Chermoula
Recipe GLPR17476bcf3825f0
A vibrant North African herb and spice paste featuring fresh cilantro and parsley blended with garlic, preserved lemon, warm spices, and olive oil. This versatile condiment is perfect as a marinade, dip, or finishing sauce for fish, vegetables, and grains. Its bright, complex flavors bring depth to any dish.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
1 cup cilantro leaves, packed
½ cup fresh parsley leaves, packed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup preserved lemon juice, or regular lemon juice if unavailable
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅛ teaspoon saffron, crushed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
to taste kosher salt
Directions
Add the cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, and peeled garlic cloves to a food processor.
Pulse until the herbs and garlic are finely chopped and well combined.
Add the lemon juice, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and crushed saffron to the processor.
Pulse to combine all ingredients into a cohesive mixture.
While pulsing slowly, drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture reaches a smooth paste consistency.
Season with kosher salt to taste and pulse once more to incorporate.
Transfer to a serving bowl and use immediately as a marinade, dip, or condiment, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.
Comments
Chermoula is a North African herb paste that checks most boxes for Charlotte cooks: cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon, and standard spices are all available at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, or Walmart without a second trip. The real cost driver is saffron, which can run $8–12 for even a small quantity, pushing the per-serving spice cost to $2–3 alone; if you already have saffron or want to skip it, the dish becomes genuinely cheap. The stated 10 minutes is honest for a blender paste, and it keeps refrigerated for a week, making it a smart condiment to batch. The one caveat is that this isn't a full meal—it's a sauce or marinade that needs fish, chicken, or vegetables to anchor it, so plan accordingly.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
