Grilled Tuna Skewers with Chermoula Sauce
With origins in Moroccan cuisine, Chermoula Sauce is an easy and flavorful way to boost the flavor of grilled seafood, chicken and even veggies.
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It’s crazy how a simple sauce can take a meal from good to great. My wife is half-Italian, so we make red sauces quite often. But that’s not the kind of sauce we’re talking about today. I’m talking about a quick and easy sauce that gets spooned over grilled tuna. I’m talking about Chermoula Sauce.
So what is Chermoula Sauce? Chermoula is a combination of parsley, cilantro and a handful of spices. Add some olive oil + lemon juice and blitz it a few times in a food processor. You’ll be left with a delicious blend of fresh flavor that’s perfect for spreading on top of grilled seafood. Chermoula might not be that common here in the States, but I’m telling ya that it deserves to be filed away in your grilling recipe box. I’m serious when I say that it only takes one bite, and you’ll be off looking for other reasons to make chermoula sauce!
Grilled Tuna Skewers with Chermoula Sauce
Grilled Tuna Skewers with Chermoula SauceChermoula is the Moroccan/north African version of Argentina’s chimichurri sauce. And while chimichurri is a great sauce for beef (especially grilled flank or strip steak), chermoula is perfectly fitting for grilled chicken and/or fish. For this recipe, I picked up some tuna steaks from the grocery store. The marinade I used for the tuna was inspired by the flavors in the chermoula, and it’s a quite tasty marinade in its own right. However, combine that marinade with the sauce? You’ve got some magic happening on the grill now!
Can’t find tuna steaks? No worries. We grilled up some salmon fillets the night after we made these Grilled Tuna Skewers. Surprise, surprise. Chermoula pairs quite well with grilled salmon! And I already mentioned the chicken option above. And honestly, I think chermoula would be delicious mixed in with a batch of roasted veggies…particularly carrots and cauliflower. After I took these photos, we stirred a spoonful of chermoula sauce into the couscous. Holy cow! I’ve never tasted couscous with that much flavor!
Ok, enough raving about my new favorite grilling sauce. Just do me a favor and put this sauce on your grilling menu ASAP, ok? Cheers, and happy grilling!
Did you make these Grilled Tuna Skewers with Chermoula Sauce at home? Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Grilled Tuna Skewers with Chermoula Sauce
Ingredients
For the Tuna
- wooden skewers for grilling
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 24 oz. tuna steaks cut into 1¼” cubes
- couscous or rice for serving
- vegetable oil for grilling
For the Chermoula Sauce
- ¾ cup chopped Italian parsley
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place wooden skewers in a large bowl of water to soak for at least 30 minutes.
- Using a large ziptop bag, add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, thyme and pepper. Add cubed tuna, turning several times to coat. Seal bag and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes.
- Cook couscous or rice as desired; set aside.
- Meanwhile, add all of the ingredients for the chermoula sauce to a small food processor or mini-chopper; pulse until smooth. Set chermoula aside.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat (~375°F).
- Remove tuna from bag and thread onto skewers.
- Brush grill grates lightly with vegetable oil (to prevent sticking). Grill tuna for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway through, or until tuna reaches desired doneness.
- Divide cooked couscous or rice onto plates. Top with skewered tuna. Spoon chermoula sauce over tuna before serving.
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Lil S and I love the combination of fish and Israeli couscous and gosh David, I need this for dinner tonight! Yes, need not want! And that Chermoula sauce is EPIC! I can imagine how tasty it is with the fish AND stirred into the couscous! Now I want to try that sauce with cauliflower and carrots too!
Fantastic feasting here, my friend!
You totally need to put Chermoula sauce on your list of things to make, Shashi! It really is a great summertime sauce/mix-in. I love this time of the year – fresh herbs and bright flavors! (And the grill, of course…that goes without saying!)
I love tuna – especially when it is grilled. This sauce is just wonderful, packed so full of flavour – delicious! I love how you have served it also, what a great meal this makes!
You know, we don’t grill tuna near as much as we should, Alex. It’s delicious, but I rarely think of it when I’m in the store. However, this Chermoula sauce took it to a whole new level. This has become a recipe for the regular rotation now! Thanks so much, my friend!
Chermoula is the money I save up to buy Cher tickets, but I’m totally willing to try it on your recommendation. I’ve never had anything with both parsley and cilantro. That sounds interesting. Also, can we talk more about tuna skewers? Yes, please!
Hah! Well played, Jeff. Chermoula and Chermoola are similar, but quite distinct. I do think it’s worth spending some moola on fresh herbs to make Chermoula, though. And then perhaps invite Cher to dinner? It could be on the same day that you invite Roger to breakfast. 🙂
hi david
i love tuna and i love chermoula, so this is a great combo. you can’t beat those wonderful middle eastern flavours!
I couldn’t agree more, Sherry! We don’t grill tuna near enough, but this was so tasty that we’ve put it on the menu more often recently. And Chermoula Sauce? That tastes like summer in a bowl! (I know it’s winter down there, but we can still dream warm thoughts, right?)
The color of that sauce is amazing! This is a perfect recipe for grilling season. It’s so fresh and flavorful! I don’t grill tuna often, but this is a good reminder that is perfect for grilling up a great healthy meal.
This sauce is AWESOME for summer recipes, Kathy. It’s packed with herbs, and the lemon brings a fun bright flavor to it. I particularly like chermoula for grilled fish and chicken, but it was great to stir into couscous/rice/pasta, too. Hope you have a great weekend ahead, my friend!
I definitely know chimichurri sauce, but this is the first time I’ve heard of Chermoula sauce. The culinary world (with all its inspiration, influence, borrowing, and sometimes even stealing of ideas!) truly is amazing. When it comes to grilling, I am more on a fish and seafood side, so these tuna skewers are right up my alley. Indeed, I don’t think I’ve ever tried grilled tuna, so thanks for the idea! (I’m going to steal it…I mean get inspired.)
The culinary world truly is amazing. I find it fascinating how recipes can be similar, but they are created on opposite sides of the world. Speaking of opposite side of the world, you should put grilled tuna on the menu for this weekend!
I agree with ya about sauce…it can really make a meal special! I haven’t had chermoula sauce before, but loving the sounds of it with the cilantro. And I haven’t had tuna for quite some time so this recipe is the perfect excuse to enjoy some. Plus, who doesn’t love food on a stick??! I bet that herbaceous sauce takes it over the top! Perfect with a cold drink on a warm summer day. Pinned 🙂
Chermoula was new to us until recently, too, Dawn. But this one is amazing! It’s backed with all kinds of delicious summer flavor. I particularly like it for grilled chicken and fish. Yum!
What a lovely sauce. I can’t recall ever having had Chermoula sauce before and I love the thought of all those fresh ingredients to make it. Its good you can pair this with grilled chicken as well as grilled fish so I can have it over 2 nights. Definitely giving this a go. Thanks David!
You should totally try chermoula sauce, Neil! It’s awesome for summer grilling – I particularly like it with chicken and fish. It’s packed with fresh summer herbs and flavors, and this sauce is definitely a favorite here the past couple of weeks!
We LOVE grilled tuna, but usually serve it with pesto. Definitely trying chermoula sauce next time. Thank you!
Pesto is a great option, too, Marissa! But I highly suggest mixing it up with this chermoula sauce – we’ve been loving this one lately! 🙂
I usually use chermoula on lamb but tuna and salmon sound like a nice protein to use it with too
Interesting! I’ve never thought about chermoula with lamb. Good suggestion, Raymund! We’ve been loving it on grilled chicken and fish.
I love tuna. The chermoula sauce sounds like it is full of flavor and goes nicely with the tuna!
Chermoula sauce really is packed with flavor! It’s been a new summer favorite around here with grilled fish and chicken. Give it a shot, Dawn! 🙂
That does sound nice, David! Reminds me a bit of chimichurri? The kind of thing that goes with just about anything grilled and full of flavor. Will definitely give it a go next time I fire up the grill.
You are absolutely right, Frank – chermoula is a lot like chimichurri. Chermoula does have cilantro and the seasonings are slightly different, but they are in the same family for sure. They both go well with all sorts of grilled foods. I highly recommend it. Hope you are doing well, my friend!
This is the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time. It is so flavorful! I made other grilled veggies with it, served over couscous. So, so, so good
Hey Meg! So glad you stumbled across this recipe – that chermoula sauce is unique, but it really is delicious. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment here, too! Cheers!