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Central American Chimichurri

Central American Chimichurri

An amazingly simple yet excellent condiment/side for plain meats, fish, or poultry, adding great flavor as well as nutrition.
Course Condiment, Salad
Cuisine Latin American
Keyword condiment, lime juice, salsa, tomatoes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Resting time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 35 kcal
Author Robin Grose / comboplate.net

Ingredients

  • 3 medium-sized ripe red tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 juicy, fresh Mexican limes, halved
  • 1 small bunch cilantro amount to taste

Instructions

  1. Tomatoes should be chopped into pieces no larger than ½-inch square (just a smidgeon over a centimeter), and onion should be a bit smaller.
  2. Combine tomatoes, onion, and salt in a non-reactive (glass or stainless steel) bowl. Squeeze the limes—preferably with a hand-held lime juicer— over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir until elements are well combined.
  3. Cover the mixture and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. During this time, the salt will cause the tomatoes to give up their delicious juice and the lime will slightly “pickle” the onions.
  4. Shortly before serving, chop the cilantro. (I use both leaves and stems, as is done by home cooks and at taco stands in Mexico.) Stir the cilantro into the tomato mixture.
  5. Place your bowl of mouth-watering chimichurri on the table so that each person can spoon out the desired amount onto his or her plate. Serve at room temperature as a side to any plain roasted, baked, fried, or sautéed meat, fish, or poultry. (It is also good sprinkled over rice or eaten with tortilla chips.)
  6. Store leftovers in a glass container in the fridge, but take them out an hour or so before serving to allow the chimichurri to come to room temperature. Add additional fresh, chopped cilantro to the leftovers, if you like.

Recipe Notes

  • To make this more salad-like and much less juicy, use only half of the onion. Stir together tomatoes and onion, but do not add salt or lime juice. Just before serving, add the juice of one lime, the cilantro (optional), and salt to taste; stir well. Serve immediately.
  • Don’t hesitate to add minced fresh hot pepper (jalapeño or serrano chiles, for example) to the mix, if you feel you it will go well with the particular food you are serving and the people who will be eating it.