Parsley and Chives Chimichurri with Sumac

I love herbs and always have them around, ready to make some green concoctions and serve them with our meals. This time I had an impressive quantity of parsley and chives, so I decided to make a parsley chimichurri with chives to serve with our grass-fed steaks. This fresh, bright and flavorful green concoction goes perfectly with all kinds of meats but also with grilled or roasted vegetables.

What is chimichurri?

Chimichurri is a green sauce made of fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar. Although optional, red chili flakes are often found in chimichurri. Sometimes onion is used. Chimichurri comes from Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisine and is used both as a table condiment or added to cooking. A little bit like a gremolata.

Parsley and chives chimichurri

Chives are an herb related to onion and garlic. They taste like a cross between onion and garlic, but milder. For this reason, I do prefer using them, especially in green, uncooked sauces. For those who don’t love the aftertaste after eating raw onion and garlic, chives are a great option. You get those flavors but in a more subtle way.

For chimichurri, flat-leaf parsley, or Italian parsley is used. But, if I only had curly parsley available, I would still use it.

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Sumac for a tangy, lemony flavor

Another condiment I love and add to sauces and marinades is sumac. Sumac is made of the dried fruits of the sumac bush and is mostly used in middle eastern cuisine. In Iran, it is used on the table as a condiment, next to salt and pepper. It has a tangy, lemony flavor and compliments well all kinds of meats and sauces.

As a side note, I have found some information that sumac, when used in marinades, inhibits the formation of harmful bacteria that lead to histamine build-up; that’s why sumac might be a good ingredient to use with your meats when on a low histamine diet.

As I rarely buy and use red wine vinegar, I think using apple cider vinegar in combination with sumac will give a similar taste profile as red wine vinegar.

The complete list of ingredients I used for this parsley and chives chimichurri:

• chopped parsley
• chopped chives
• dry oregano (fresh oregano can be used)
• sea salt flakes
• freshly ground pepper
• sumac
• apple cider vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil

In a classic chimichurri sauce recipe, you will see red pepper flakes or crushed red pepper. As I avoid lectins, and this website only features low-lectin recipes, we will skip these.

If you love the strong garlic taste, feel free to add one or two garlic cloves.

How to use this parsley chimichurri recipe

My favorite way to serve this sauce is with grilled steak or any kind of roasted and grilled meats. But it works even with eggs and roasted vegetables, or to complement a vegetarian meal like Roasted Mushrooms and Millet Polenta.

I often use chimichurri sauce with sumac as a marinade for meats.

It even works as a dipping sauce for lectin-free bread or chips.

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This parsley and chives chimichurri recipe is part of our round-up of 10 green sauce recipes for healthy and tasty meals. If you want to use more fresh herbs in your cooking, check it out.

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