Chermoulah is a sauce of fresh coriander, lemon juice, olive oil and spices. Commonly used in Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian cuisine, this North African sauce/marinade is best suited to fish, though it does compliment chicken and some vegetables too. Time for you to experiment perhaps? After making up a test batch last week I used some of mine with extra olive oil to slow cook ripe tomatoes. They were lovely.
As with other marinades, much of the original pungency is lost during the cooking process so I recommend that you hold a little in reserve to brush over the tuna after it leaves the pan/grill.
Ingredients - serves 4
for the chermoulah:
125g fresh coriander leaf
125ml light olive oil
50ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cumin seed (dry roasted for a couple of minutes)
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tuna steaks
2 tbsp chermoulah (use 1 as marinade and 1 for brushing after cooking)
olive oil |
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Method
Place al the chermoulah ingredients in a small processor or blender and blend to a paste. You will have a good deal more than you require for this recipe, the rest will not be wasted I'm sure - it will keep in the fridge for several days.
Rub 1 tablespoon of chermoulah over the tuna steaks, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Heat a frying pan or griddle to hot, drizzle on some olive oil and place the tuna steaks on for 2-3 minutes each side. Tuna should not be overcooked and is much nicer if served medium to rare like steak. Brush or drizzle with a little reserved chermoula as the tuna leaves the pan and serve - rather good with soft boiled egg and fine beans I thought.
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