Chermoula Marinade (شرمولة) — Moroccan Herb and Spice Paste for Fish and Meat

• 40 gfresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
• 30 gfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
• 18 ggarlic, minced to a paste (about 5 cloves)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspground coriander
• 0.5 tspground turmeric
• 0.25 tspcayenne pepper (for mild heat)
• 1.25 tspfine sea salt (about 7.5 g)
• 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 0.1 gsaffron threads (a generous pinch)
• 15 mlwarm water (to bloom saffron)
• 2 tsplemon zest
• 60 mlfresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
• 80 mlextra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Bloom the saffron by crushing the threads lightly between your fingers, then stirring them into 15 ml warm water. Let it stand for 5 minutes so the color and aroma fully release into the liquid.

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine cilantro, parsley, and the garlic paste, mixing until the herbs look evenly flecked with garlic. Add cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and black pepper, then stir again so the spices coat the herbs uniformly.

3. 3

   Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, then pour in the bloomed saffron with all its liquid. Mix for 30 seconds to dissolve the salt and distribute the saffron, which should tint the mixture golden.

4. 4

   Stream in the olive oil while stirring to form a loose, spoonable paste rather than a dry rub. Let the chermoula rest for 10 minutes so the herbs soften and the flavors meld before using.

5. 5

   To use on fish, coat 900 g fish fillets or 1 whole fish (about 1 kg) with the full batch and marinate 20 minutes in the refrigerator. To use on meat, coat 900 g chicken thighs or lamb chops and marinate 2 hours in the refrigerator, then cook as desired and discard any marinade that has touched raw protein.