Chermoola

Flavor profile

Warm paprika first, then thyme and wild thyme, with ginger and a quiet heat from spicy paprika and white pepper underneath. Lightly salted with Himalayan salt, so it's ready to go straight onto the fish.

How to use

Chermoola is Morocco's answer to "what should I marinate this in?" — the herb-and-spice marinade fish asks for by name. Mix it with olive oil and lemon and rub it over fish before cooking; it does the same for chicken, shrimp and cauliflower, in the oven or on the grill. Taste as you go — chouiya.

The spices had to earn the jar

This is the one from my catering pans — mixed with oil and lemon and spooned over whatever was going into the oven that night at Persian Kitchen NYC. A beautiful jar does not get a free pass — dinner still has to taste good.

Artwork by Hafida Zizi

The jar wears an original painting by Hafida Zizi, the Moroccan artist whose work dresses all three blends in The Souk. Amber glass, black lid, made to refill and keep.

Ingredients and practical information

Ingredients: sweet paprika, ginger, white pepper, spicy paprika, bay leaves, thyme, wild thyme, turmeric, Himalayan salt.

Net weight: 85 g (3 oz) · Blended and packed in small batches in Manhattan · Ships within New York State.

Other Moroccan blends

Sookies Souk Blend — my ras el hanout, warm first and floral underneath.
Tagine Nights — the blend for the pot that sits on low heat all afternoon.

Build a Moroccan gift box

Three recipes. Three paintings. A very good-looking dinner plan.
Everyone brings wine. Bring spices. →