Bonefish Grill Chimichurri

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Chimichurri is a chopped sauce. Not a purée, not a pesto, not an emulsion — a loose suspension of herb pieces in oil and vinegar, where you can identify every ingredient by looking at it.

A food processor destroys that in about four seconds, and what you get instead is a uniform green paste that tastes flat and slightly bitter.

Why blending makes it bitter

Blades rupture cell walls violently and release enzymes and compounds that hand-chopping mostly leaves inside the plant. Parsley in particular goes bitter and grassy when it is pulverised.

Blending also drives air into the oil, which dulls the colour to army green within a couple of hours instead of leaving it bright.

A sharp knife and five minutes. The knife matters: a blunt one crushes the herbs against the board, which causes the same problem on a smaller scale.

The two hours at room temperature

Chimichurri needs time, and it needs it warm rather than cold.

The dried oregano has to rehydrate. The garlic and chilli need to infuse into the oil, which happens far more slowly in a fridge because the oil thickens.

Two hours on the counter. If you refrigerate it, take it out an hour before serving — cold olive oil is cloudy, thick and mutes everything.

Red wine vinegar, and enough of it

Chimichurri should be sharp. It is a sauce designed to cut through grilled fatty meat, and a mild version has no job to do.

Roughly one part vinegar to three parts oil, which is much more acidic than a vinaigrette. If yours tastes oily and flat, it is under-acidified.

What you need

• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 60 g), finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped, or 2 tsp dried
• 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or 1 tsp red chilli flakes
• 1 small shallot, very finely diced
• 180 ml olive oil
• 60 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

1. 1. Chop everything by hand. Parsley first, then oregano, garlic, chilli and shallot.
2. 2. Put the chopped ingredients into a bowl with the salt and pepper.
3. 3. Add the vinegar and leave it 10 minutes. This softens the raw edge on the garlic and shallot before the oil goes anywhere near them.
4. 4. Stir in the oil.
5. 5. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours.
6. 6. Stir again before serving. It separates, and it is meant to.

The ten minutes in vinegar first

This is a small step with an outsized effect. Raw garlic and raw shallot are both harsh, and acid tames both.

Add the oil at the same time and the fat coats the pieces, which slows the acid down and leaves you with a sauce that tastes aggressively of raw garlic for the first day.

It is supposed to separate

Chimichurri is not an emulsion and should not be shaken into one. The oil rises, the vinegar and solids sit below, and you stir it before spooning it out.

A chimichurri that stays homogeneous has been blended, which brings you back to the first problem.

Storing

Two weeks in the fridge, and it is arguably better on day two or three. The parsley darkens over time — that is normal and it does not mean it has spoiled.

Bring it back to room temperature before serving, every time.

Freeze it in an ice cube tray for three months. The texture softens slightly but the flavour holds.