Chermoula substitute

Substitutes for Chermoula with ratios

1. 2Salsa Verde plus Cumin and Paprika

   Close match

   Use the same amount plus ½ tsp cumin + ½ tsp paprika per ¼ cup

   The Italian green sauce has the same architecture: herbs, garlic, acid and a lot of olive oil.

   What changes

   Best for

   fish and seafood, spooning over grilled vegetables, when a jar is already open in the fridge

   Without the cumin and paprika it reads clearly Italian rather than Moroccan, so those two additions do most of the work. If the jar contains capers or anchovy, either fish them out or accept a saltier, more savoury sauce and cut back on the salt elsewhere.

2. 3Chimichurri plus Cumin

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus ½ tsp cumin + a pinch of paprika per ¼ cup

   Parsley, garlic and vinegar, which is chermoula's shape with a sharper edge.

   What changes

   Best for

   grilled meat and chicken, firm fish steaks, marinades

   The vinegar makes it noticeably more aggressive and tangier than chermoula's lemon, and there is no coriander at all, so it tastes greener and more oregano-forward. The cumin pulls it a long way towards North Africa; a squeeze of lemon on top pulls it the rest of the way.

3. 4Zhoug or Green Harissa

   Different taste

   ½ as much, made up with olive oil and lemon

   A Yemeni or Tunisian green chilli-and-herb paste, built on coriander like chermoula but far hotter.

   What changes

   Best for

   people who want heat, fish and chicken, stirring through yogurt as a sauce

   Use half as much and slacken it with olive oil and lemon juice, or the heat swamps everything. Zhoug is scented with cardamom and green chilli where chermoula is scented with cumin and paprika, so the dish tastes brighter, spikier and less earthy.

4. 5Pesto Cut with Lemon and Cumin

   Different taste

   Use the same amount plus 1 tbsp lemon juice + ½ tsp cumin per ¼ cup

   The least-bad thing already in most fridges.

   What changes

   Best for

   a weeknight fish traybake, roast vegetables, when there are no fresh herbs in the house

   It brings basil, hard cheese and pine nuts, none of which belong in chermoula, and the cheese makes it richer and less refreshing. With lemon and cumin stirred through it is a decent green herby marinade, but it is not chermoula and should not be sold to the table as such.

5. 6Harissa Thinned with Oil, Lemon and Herbs

   Different taste

   Use about ¼ cup for every 1 tsp harissa + 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp lemon juice

   The swap people reach for most often, and the one that changes the dish most.

   What changes

   Best for

   when harissa is the only North African thing you own, robust fish and lamb, cooks who want the heat anyway

   Harissa is chilli and caraway; chermoula is herbs and cumin. So this gets you a red, hot, smoky sauce where you wanted a green, fresh, cumin-scented one. Add whatever chopped parsley or coriander you can find and a teaspoon of cumin, and it becomes a respectable marinade in its own right.

6. 7Dry Spice Version, No Fresh Herbs

   Taste and texture differ

   3 tbsp oil + 2 tbsp lemon + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp paprika

   The honest fallback when the fridge has no herbs at all.

   What changes

   Best for

   marinating fish or chicken, brushing on before grilling, store-cupboard cooking

   Add half a teaspoon of ground coriander seed, a teaspoon of dried parsley and a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder. It seasons the fish properly and tastes right on the palate; the thing you cannot fake is the fresh green top note, so the sauce is flatter and less lively.