Chermoula (Herb, Garlic & Cumin Marinade)

Wash the coriander and parsley and dry them thoroughly.

💡 Water dilutes the sauce and shortens its life — wet herbs make chermoula go brown and slimy within a day.

Strip the coarse lower stems from the coriander but keep the fine upper ones.

Peel the garlic and crush it to a paste with a pinch of the salt.

💡 Crushing with salt breaks the garlic down properly. Whole cloves in a food processor come out as sharp little chunks that ambush you later.

If using saffron, crumble it into 1 tbsp of warm water and leave it to steep 5 minutes.

Chop the herbs finely by hand, or pulse them briefly in a food processor.

💡 Pulse, do not run the machine. A continuous blend heats and bruises the herbs, turning the sauce khaki and slightly bitter within minutes.

Combine the herbs, garlic paste, cumin, paprika, ground coriander, cayenne and saffron water in a bowl.

Stir in the lemon juice and the preserved lemon, if using.

Pour in the olive oil in a steady stream, stirring, until you have a loose, spoonable paste.

💡 Stir it in by hand rather than blending. Blitzing oil into herbs emulsifies it into a thick green mayonnaise — chermoula should be loose enough to run off a spoon.

Taste it. It should be sharp, cumin-forward and salty enough to season whatever it coats.

💡 Remember it will be diluted by the fish or vegetables it goes on. Under-seasoned chermoula disappears entirely once it hits food.

Let it sit 10 minutes before using, so the ground spices hydrate and stop tasting dusty.

To use as a marinade: coat fish or chicken and refrigerate 30 minutes to 2 hours before cooking.

💡 Do not go longer with fish. The lemon starts to cure it, and after a few hours the flesh turns opaque and mealy before it ever meets the pan.

To use as a relish, spoon it over grilled fish, roast vegetables or eggs just before serving.