Sharmula - Moroccan Fish Marinade
Sharmula
Region: Morocco
Category: Basic Recipes and Sauces
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but takes non-working time

Moroccan cooks, to cook thicker cuts of fish, use a kind of relish-marinade of finely sliced or torn herbs and spices called chermoulla, tchermila, chermoula, or charmoula, which are various transliterations for sharmūla , , ﺷﺮﻣﻮﻟﮥ derived from the word meaning “to tear lightly.” Some cooks gently heat the sharmūla  in a pan or liquefy everything in a blender. The marinade can also be used with chicken. The suggested amounts in parentheses are in case you decide to put everything in a food processor.

Yield: Makes about 1 cup
Preparation Time: 1:15 hours

1/2 cup very finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves (1 1/2 cups lightly-packed whole leaves)     1/2 cup very finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (1 1/2 cups lightly-packed whole leaves)     6 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped     1 small onion, peeled and very finely chopped (1 whole small onion)       Juice of 1/2 lemon     6 to 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper     1 teaspoon paprika     1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper     1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds     1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon     1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron or a pinch of saffron threads, lightly toasted in an oven, and ground in a mortar     1 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. 

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 01/10/2007

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