20-Minute Chimichurri Salmon

Looking for a fresh and flavorful recipe to whip up in a flash? This Chimichurri Salmon will excite your tastebuds, pair beautifully with almost any side, and comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Quite honestly, as a mom with a packed schedule and passion for bold flavors, I’m always looking for ways to kick my food up a notch without too much hassle. And this quick and simple salmon dish does exactly that.

In this recipe, you will learn how to make a quick and classic homemade Chimichurri Sauce, how to prepare, marinate, and bake your salmon, and some of my favorite ways to serve up this delicious and simple fish dish.

Oh, by the way, if you’re a spicy food lover like me, you can amp up this recipe by using my Spicy Serrano Pepper Chimichurri Sauce instead!

Chimichurri Salmon Ingredients

---

Here’s everything you need:

• Fresh parsley. For a fresh, herbaceous flavor.
• Oregano. You can use fresh or dried to add depth of flavor.
• Garlic. Fresh garlic for a flavor punch.
• Red wine vinegar. It’s sharp and tangy, and the perfect addition to this quick chimichurri.
• Salt, pepper, and paprika. To ramp up all the other flavors.
• Extra-virgin olive oil. To get the right consistency.
• Salmon. 2 portions, 3 to 4 ounces each or one larger, 6 to 8-ounce portion that you’ll slice in half.

Salmon with Chimichurri Tips and Tricks

---

Fresh Vs. Dried Herbs

Fresh parsley is the only way to go here! Use both the leaves and the stems to get the most flavor out of it, and of course, to avoid waste.

Consider growing a parsley plant as a sustainable, economical, and delicious option. Fresh herbs are easy to grow, and a parsley plant is the gift that keeps on giving for a home cook!

If you don’t have a garden, you can keep them on your windowsill so they get access to daylight and keep them damp (but not too wet).

Homegrown herbs taste the freshest possible, avoid waste (once plucked from the plant, the herbs only stay fresh for a couple of days), and eliminates the need for any plastic packaging.

As for the oregano in this recipe, you can use either fresh or dried oregano.

How to Peel Garlic for Chimichurri

The way that I like to peel the outer layer off my garlic is by crushing the garlic clove first. To do so, lay the garlic cloves flat on your cutting board and use the flat end of your knife to press down on the garlic until you hear a distinct crunch.

Crushing the garlic will crack open the outer layer, making it much easier for you to peel it back. Once you’ve completely peeled your garlic, you can add it whole to the food processor.

Use a Food Processor or High-Powered Blender

This homemade chimichurri marinade for salmon is best made in a food processor or high-powered blender. 

Add the fresh parsley (stems and leaves), fresh or dried oregano, peeled garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and paprika to the food processor or blender. Note: you do not add the olive oil at this time.

I recommend using your pulse button to blend just until the garlic and pepper are broken down, instead of leaving it to blend on high power. It should really only take a couple of pushes to that pulse button.

Add the Olive Oil Separately

There is enough liquid in the garlic, fresh parsley, and added red wine vinegar to break down your solids completely in the food processor or blender without adding your olive oil just yet.

Putting the olive oil in with the rest of the ingredients will actually cause the oil and vinegar to emulsify, completely changing the texture. It’ll be more of a creamy sauce, which is not quite what we are going for here.

So once, you’ve blended the rest of your ingredients in the blender or food processor, remove the blade and either transfer the contents into a separate bowl to mix in the olive oil or add the oil directly to the food processor/blender and stir with a spoon.

Blot Your Salmon Dry

Whether you’re using fresh or frozen salmon, it’s best to reduce the amount of moisture in your salmon to get the flakiest and crisp on the edges texture. If you are using frozen, make sure it is thawed.

*Record scratch* Did you just realize you haven’t thawed your salmon? Let me show you how to Cook Salmon From Frozen!

The easiest way to dry your salmon is by placing your fish filets in between two paper towels and pressing down lightly. Check out these bamboo paper towels for a more sustainable option.

Coat Your Salmon with Chimichurri

In this recipe, we will use chimichurri as both a marinade and finishing sauce. Grab a small, 7 x 11-inch baking dish, and place your salmon inside, skin side down.

Add a generous amount of chimichurri on top of each portion to fully coat it. Then, bake your salmon at 475°F for 10-12 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 125°F.

Serving Your Chimichurri Salmon

Once your chimichurri-marinated salmon is out of the oven, you can serve it as is or you can add some fresh chimichurri on top. I highly recommend the latter.

While marinating the salmon in the Chimichurri gives your salmon a lot of zest, cooking the Chimichurri mellows the flavors of both the garlic and the fresh parsley. Adding fresh Chimichurri on top gives you an extra boost of freshness.

This Chimichurri Salmon brings so much flavor to your dinner plate, making it a great main dish. It pairs with a wide variety of different sides. Here are some of my favorites:

• Garlic Parmesan Asparagus
• Yellow Saffron Rice
• Creamy Boursin Mashed Potatoes

Storing and Reheating Leftover Salmon with Chimichurri

This Chimichurri Salmon will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator in a sealed, airtight container.

To reheat your salmon, preheat your oven to 400°F and add the salmon to a baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145°F.

You can also freeze cooked salmon for up to 6 months. Check out these detailed instructions for re-freezing cooked salmon. From frozen, thaw the Chimichurri Salmon in the refrigerator overnight and follow instructions above to reheat.

If you have leftover Chimichurri only this will last for about a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container or can be frozen for up to 3 weeks.

Leftover Chimichurri can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Just thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight and it will be as fresh as ever!

Serving Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is a super vibrant, fresh, and falvorful sauce and marinade that can be served with a variety of different meats and vegetables.

I love using Chimichurri to both marinate and finish the Chimichurri Salmon, and often use it as a marinade for grilled portobello mushrooms.

Chimichurri Salmon Wine Pairing

Since chimichurri is classically an Argentinian dish, I love to pair this Chimichurri Salmon with Argentinian wine. For red, consider a Malbec. For white, consider Chardonnay.