Gordon Ramsay’s chimichurri is bright, coarse and herby, made with five fresh herbs pounded in a mortar with garlic, rock salt and sugar, loosened with lemon juice and olive oil. It takes about 5 minutes and the rough texture is the whole point, because this isn’t pesto.
Ramsay makes chimichurri in three different ways across his books and shows. In Bread Street Kitchen he blends it with jalapeños and sherry vinegar for spatchcocked poussins. In Ultimate Fit Food he adds rosemary and red wine vinegar for bavette steak, noting you should “leave to infuse for approximately 2 hours.” On The F Word he builds it in a mortar with sugar and five herbs, saying “the sugar takes away from the harshness of the garlic.”
The mortar and pestle is what makes this version different from every blender chimichurri online. Ramsay is specific about the texture: “you don’t want this super fine. I want it quite coarse.” The rock salt and sugar do the grinding work, breaking down the garlic into a rough paste while the herbs stay chunky. A blender would turn this into green sludge.
Gordon Ramsay Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Course: SaucesCuisine: British, ArgentinianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes120
kcal5
minutesGordon Ramsay’s chimichurri from The F Word, pounded in a mortar with five herbs, garlic, sugar and lemon. Coarse, bright and designed to spread over rested steak without overpowering it.
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp rock salt
1 tsp sugar
Small bunch of fresh oregano, leaves picked
Small bunch of fresh dill, chopped
Small bunch of fresh mint, leaves torn
Small bunch of fresh coriander, torn
Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, torn
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Pound the garlic base: Add the garlic cloves, rock salt and sugar to a mortar. Pound until you have a coarse, rough paste. The salt and sugar break the garlic down in seconds and the sugar takes away the raw harshness.
- Add the herbs: Tear in the oregano, dill, mint, coriander and parsley. Pound lightly to bruise and mix, keeping the texture coarse. You’re not making a paste.
- Finish with lemon and oil: Add the lemon zest, squeeze in the juice, then pour in the olive oil. Mix everything together. Season with black pepper. The chimichurri should be rough, chunky and loose enough to spoon.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay add sugar to his chimichurri?
Nobody else does this. On The F Word he pounds garlic with rock salt and sugar in the mortar, explaining that “the sugar takes away from the harshness of the garlic and in seconds you’ve got this amazing puree.” Raw garlic can be aggressive and bitter, and the sugar rounds it out without making the sauce taste sweet.
The salt does the grinding work while the sugar balances the flavour. It’s a small detail but it’s the difference between a chimichurri that burns your tongue and one that sits comfortably on the meat.
Why does Ramsay make three different chimichurris?
He matches the sauce to the protein. The BSK version for poussins uses jalapeño peppers and sherry vinegar because young chicken needs a sharper, hotter kick. The Ultimate Fit Food version for bavette steak uses rosemary and red wine vinegar, which stands up to the heavier beef flavour. The F Word version for skirt steak uses five herbs with lemon, brighter and lighter.
Three different acids too: lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar. He doesn’t have one fixed recipe, he has a technique he adapts.
Why mortar and pestle instead of a blender?
Ramsay is clear on this: “you don’t want this super fine. I want it quite coarse.” A blender pulverises the herbs into a smooth paste that tastes bitter and looks like green sludge. The mortar bruises them, releasing the oils without destroying the texture.
In BSK he does offer a blender as an option for the poussin version, but adds “or finely chop them by hand and mix together well.” Even when he allows a blender, hand-chopping is the alternative.
Does chimichurri keep well?
The UFF version keeps well because it’s designed to infuse. Ramsay says to “leave to infuse for approximately 2 hours” before serving, and it holds overnight in the fridge. The herbs darken slightly but the flavour deepens.
The F Word version is best fresh. It’s brighter and more delicate because of the five herbs and lemon juice, so it loses its punch after a day. Make it while the steak rests and serve it straight away.
What does Ramsay serve chimichurri with?
On The F Word he spreads it thinly over rested skirt steak: “I don’t want it too strong. I don’t want it too overpowering.” In BSK he spoons it generously over spatchcocked poussins. In UFF he drizzles it over sliced bavette with griddled mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
It works on anything grilled. Spread it over roasted duck for a South American twist, or spoon it alongside grilled salmon where the herbs and lemon cut through the oiliness of the fish.
