Melina’s Chimichurri

Everyone loves Melina’s chimichurri, that bright green put-on-everything Argentinian sauce made with chopped parsley, lots of garlic, olive oil, a hint of heat, and your choice of spices—every family has their own recipe. Chimichurri is just as flexible in how it’s served: drizzle it over chicken, vegetables and fish, though it’s most famously served over grilled cuts of beef, pork, sausages, morcilla y muchas carnes más at a traditional Argentinian asado or barbecue fest.

This chimi recipe comes from Melina Adduci, who is from Buenos Aires and her entire family loves to cook. Check out her parent’s delicious locro, a traditional stew of hominy, meats, and porotos or beans—typically served on national Argentinian holidays and feasts.

Melina now lives in Los Angeles, where she works in film and TV production. She tells this set story starring her sauce: “Fun fact: I worked on the first season of the Discovery show Deadliest Catch and my crew and I brought back Alaska king crab legs. We had a premiere party at our showrunner’s house, and I was asked to make my chimichurri so we could dip our crab legs in it—as some would dip it in butter. It was delicious!”

We honestly would never have thought of chimichurri on crab. Exactly, says Melina. “That’s the versatility of chimi, that you can add it to so many meals.”

Ready to make Melina’s classic Argentinian chimichurri?

Melina’s Chimichurri

Recipe by Melina Adduci

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Argentinian

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, good quality

• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

• 1 tsp dried red chile flakes

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 3/4 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp coarse salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper, to taste

Directions

• Chop your parsley before you start: fine-dice it into the tiniest possible pieces—by hand, NOT in a blender (it gets too mushy and loses texture and flavor).
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
• Allow the mixed ingredients to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, to release all of their flavors into the olive oil. Ideally, let your chimichurri marinate for more than 2 hours, if time allows.
• Before serving, try it. Anything can be adjusted to your taste. Add more salt, more pepper, less or more chile. It’s up to you. Chimichurri can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Enjoy!

Notes

• Melina says red wine vinegar is the best and only vinegar for chimichurri. You can use lemon juice as a substitution, but only if you must. In her opinion, no other vinegar will do for chimi: not balsamic, not white, not apple cider.
• “If you’re like me and love the strong flavor of garlic,” says Melina, “use 4 cloves. If you prefer your food on the milder side, start with 2 cloves—and adjust from there.”
• Melina prefers her parsley medium to chunky chopped. “But finely chopped is the traditional way,” she says.