The One and I are keen on dousing, drizzling, and otherwise acquainting this emerald elixir with grilled steak, chicken, chops, seafood, or heck, just about anything.
While some traditional chimichurris call for a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to oil, this one tilts toward being more acidic. The line you choose to walk with regard to how much vinegar to add depends in part on your tolerance for tang and in part on whether you intend to use it as a marinade or drizzling sauce (opt for more vinegar for the former, less for the latter).
So try it as-is. Then, if need be, tweak it ever so slightly and try, try again. I find it to be the perfect basis for just about any use.
I made this recipe in the worst of all possible scenarios: for a friend who spends half the year in Uruguay in South America and who’s addicted to chimichurri. In short, she loved it.
As I mentioned above, this particular version is definitely tangy with vinegar. It’s also thin. So I added more olive oil (about 1/2 cup), and it balanced out the vinegar and made it a bit more viscous. By the end of the meal, we were dipping everything into it, including potatoes, bread, even our fingers.
Hell yes—in fact, you should. Let those flavors get cozy together for at least 2 hours before serving, though overnight is even better. Just know that the olive oil might solidify in the fridge (completely normal), so let it come to room temperature and give it a good whisk before serving. It’ll keep for about a week, though the herbs will lose their bright green swagger after a few days.
You could, but don’t. Hand-chopping gives you those lovely, rustic bits of herbs and garlic that make authentic chimichurri what it is. A food processor will turn your sauce into a sad, bruised paste. Plus, there’s something Zen about chopping herbs—give over to it.
While red wine vinegar is the traditional Argentine acid, Sherry vinegar is called for here for its more complex, rounded character. It’s got a subtle nuttiness and deeper flavor that plays especially nicely with well-aged steaks. White wine vinegar will work, though it lacks the deeper notes you get from its red cousin. Champagne vinegar brings a lighter, brighter touch.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s bold and traditional—no newfangled additions or cheffy twists. The proportions of vinegar to oil is higher, lending a punch of vinegar to cut through rich meat. The generous amount of garlic (six whole cloves!) means business, while the balance of fresh parsley and oregano provides that classic green-herb bass notes. Also, no food processors or fancy techniques required.
Also, you can adjust it ever so slightly to your taste—a splash more oil here, a touch more vinegar there—without losing its gutsy, traditional character. It’s the kind of sauce that makes you wonder how you ever ate steak without it.
Dishes to Drench in Chimichurri
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If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
- 6 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large nonreactive bowl or a glass jar, combine the 3/4 cup sherry vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, 3 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves, 6 large cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Taste and, if desired, gently adjust the amount of vinegar, oil, and salt accordingly.
- Serve the chimichurri immediately or refrigerate in a covered container. If chilled, allow the sauce to return to room temperature before serving. It can be kept in the fridge for a week, but we doubt it will last that long.
Notes
- Balance—This is quite a vinegary chimichurri. If you prefer a more balanced sauce, add more olive oil; up to 1/2 cup will do.
- Uses—You can use this as a marinade or drizzling sauce. For a marinate, opt for more vinegar. For a drizzling sauce, opt for more olive oil.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I think chimichurri is one of those sauces that has many variations, and people prefer slight differences — more garlic, less pepper, thicker sauce, looser marinade. This is a looser sauce, with an emphasis on the vinegar, which I feel works well when marinating steak. It also makes a lot, again due to its use as a marinade here. It comes together really quickly (I suspect you could even throw everything into a food processor for a couple of whirls) and gave the steak a bright, fresh flavor. I’d recommend reserving more than just 1/3 cup, though, for drizzling. We dipped bread into it, drizzled it over grilled corn, even spooned it on eggs the next morning.
I really liked this recipe as written. I kept the ratio of oil to vinegar as-is, as I didn’t find it too vinegary BUT I make my vinaigrettes more to a half and half ratio, which many might consider too tart. I really appreciated this vinegary, parsleyed, garlicky marinade and sauce with the charred smokiness of the steak, and wouldn’t change a thing. Very easy and simple and works perfectly with beef.
Sherry vinegar is one of my favorite vinegars ever, and I’m happy to use it whenever I can. Its flavor really came through for me — in a good way. Sometimes chimichurri (and other marinades and sauces) can be assertively vinegary, but this combination was a great ratio. The recipe calls for 2/3 cup, but I used 3/4 cup, and I also increased the 1/4 cup olive oil to 1/2 cup. Perhaps next time I’ll try cider vinegar out of curiosity.
Recipes that require fresh herbs appeal to me as I grow many of our own. Fresh oregano has sort of a mustiness to it, but when teamed up with the remaining ingredients it was subtle yet added that flavour so traditional in chimichurri. The red pepper flakes and garlic make this really sing!
The chimichurri tasted good even before adding flank steak to the equation, which is telling. Chimichurri + flank steak = delicious.
I’ve had several Chimichurri sauce disasters and tonight I had some special rib eyes from a rancher friend and figured that I could put my faith in David Leite–so I made this recipe with a few adaptations. I didn’t have red pepper flakes so I used some fresh cayenne. I didn’t have sherry vinegar so I used brown rice vinegar. I did about 25% more parsley and garlic than called for, but my garlic was elephant garlic and a little less intense. The sauce was amazing! Oh, and I think that doing all the chopping by hand makes a huge difference.
Robin, thank you for your confidence in me–and us! This sauce is a winner, and we have Costa Rican friend who visits Argentina often, and she swears by it. And I think your version sounds incredible.
that’s a very good question, beth. you’re right, acerbic leans more toward sour or bitter, acidic more towards, well, acidic, yes? i shouldn’t have relied on a single word and instead taken a few more words to explain that some testers simply felt the higher dose of vinegar was just too vinegary for their tastes. i guess this can fall under either camp, but more towards acidic, yes? many thanks for helping ensure we’re as clear as can be…
What’s the closest to sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, plain old vinegar or balsamic vinegar? Thanks.
Depends on how acidic you like things, Ellen. You could use an apple cider vinegar if you like a slight tang, but I’d recommend balsamic. If you have it, a white balsamic could be really quite nice, not just because it keeps the chimichurri from turning a rather drab brown but because it has a slightly less slam-you-in-the-face-with-a-baseball-bat vinegar effect. Let us know what you decide…
I’ve been using this recipe for a while now, not knowing I was a closet Argentinian. I’ve been substituting balsamic for sherry vinegar, adding a solid slug of bourbon (natch) & a dash of dark brown sugar. I’ve also used the concotion as a marinade, adding thin sliced onions (sometimes orange zest) and then letting steaks, chops, chicken swim around in the goop for times ranging from 2 hours up to 24 depending on type of meat & state of organization. Grilled with some good grilled sausage along side…must be why those Argentinian cowboys alway look so damned frisky.
Niiiiiiiice. Which herbs do you use?