Uruguay and Argentina grass-finish most of their cattle. Their traditional steak sauce is not a coincidence.
Chimichurri comes from a beef culture where the cattle are largely raised solely on grass, and the sauce that culture arrived at is herbs, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Acid, fat and greens.
That's not an accident. Grass-finished beef is typically leaner and more mineral than grain-finished, and the thing that flatters many cuts is a sharp counterweight rather than a rich one.
If you're avoiding dairy, this is your answer for basically every cut we sell. If you're not, it's still probably the sauce you'll make most, because it takes fifteen minutes, requires no cooking, and sits in the fridge for a week.
Chop it, don't blend it
If you prepare chimichurri in a food processor and you get a smooth, dull, slightly bitter green paste. Three things go wrong at once.
The blades bruise the herbs, rupturing cell walls and releasing compounds that read as bitter. The olive oil emulsifies, which turns a loose, spoonable sauce into something that sits on the steak like a paste instead of running into it. And you lose the texture, which is half the point, you want to see and feel the parsley.
Hand-chop it. A sharp knife and six minutes. The sauce should look like chopped herbs suspended in oil, because that's what it is.
The recipe: Chimichurri Verde
Makes about 1½ cups · 15 minutes, plus 2 hours sitting
You need
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, packed, finely chopped — stems removed
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped, or 2 tsp dried
- 4 garlic cloves, very finely minced
- 1 small shallot or ¼ red onion, very finely minced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes, or 1 fresh red chile, seeded and minced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
- 2 tbsp warm water
Method
- Chop everything by hand. Parsley first, then oregano, then garlic, then shallot. Fine, but not to a paste, but you still want distinct pieces.
- Salt and vinegar first. Put the garlic, shallot, chile, salt and vinegar in a bowl and leave them for 10 minutes. The acid takes the raw bite off the garlic and onion.
- Add the herbs and pepper, stir.
- Pour in the olive oil and the warm water, stirring, don’t beat or whisk it. You want it loose and separated, not emulsified. The water is a small trick that keeps it spoonable rather than oily.
- Let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before you use it. It's edible immediately and it's much better later. Overnight is better still.
- Taste before serving and adjust, more vinegar if it's flat, more salt if it's dull.
On dried oregano: most Argentine home cooks use dried, and it's arguably more authentic. Dried is more assertive and less grassy; fresh is brighter. I’ve heard some people use dried in winter and fresh in summer, but experiment accordingly.
The recipe: Chimichurri Rojo
Once you master a green chimichurri, try the red one. Same base, plus a tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika, a tablespoon of tomato paste, and an extra pinch of chile. The finished product is deeper and rounder. It’s best on beef that's been over fire, try it first on anything you’ve grilled. You won’t be disappointed!
Side note, it’s also good on eggs, roast potatoes, grilled veggies, and fish.
Storage of either red or green version
- Refrigerator: one week, in a jar, oil covering the surface. The olive oil will solidify and cloud when cold — that's normal. Take it out 30 minutes before you want it.
- It gets better for the first three days and then starts to fade. The parsley dulls from bright to olive.
- Freezer: works in ice cube trays, though the texture softens. I'd rather make it fresh.
- Don't can it. Chimichurri is a fresh sauce in oil and it isn't formulated for shelf storage. Fridge only.
What goes wrong
Bitter. Blended, or you used too much stem. Chop by hand and strip the leaves. Or you used a fancy early-harvest or sharp varietal olive oil that has too much bite for your palette in this application.
Harsh and raw-tasting. You skipped the 10-minute vinegar soak for the garlic and shallot at step 2.
Oily and heavy. Over-mixed into an emulsion, or not enough vinegar. Stir, don't whisk, and add the water. Or your olive oil is a “chefs blend” with a high-heat vegetable oil mixed in.
Flat. Under-salted, or it hasn't sat long enough. Two hours minimum.
Brown, not green. Old parsley, or it's been in the fridge more than a week. It's still safe; it just won't look good.
Quick answers
What is chimichurri? An uncooked Argentine sauce of finely chopped parsley, garlic, oregano, chile, red wine vinegar and olive oil, served on grilled or seared beef. It's naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
Should you blend chimichurri? No. A blender bruises the herbs, which makes it bitter, and emulsifies the oil, which turns a loose spoonable sauce into a paste. Hand-chop it.
Can you use chimichurri as a marinade? If you’re inclined to try it, use it for an hour or two, on steak tips or thin cuts. The vinegar will damage the surface if you go much longer. And for food safety throw out any marinade after it has been in contact with raw meat.
How long does chimichurri keep? About a week in the refrigerator in a sealed jar. It improves for the first two or three days.
Is chimichurri dairy-free? Yes. Parsley, garlic, oregano, chile, vinegar, olive oil and salt — no dairy, no gluten, and it suits a paleo diet as written.