Chimichurri sauce fans will always have this zesty marinade on hand. Chimichurri sauce, whether homemade or store-bought, can make even the most ordinary steak meal extraordinary. Chimichurri is delicious, but how long does it stay fresh? Chimichurri sauce bought from the store can be kept for up to 6 months if it is kept unopened and in a cool, dry place. Chimichurri sauce will keep for 3 weeks once opened if stored in the fridge. Chimichurri made at home should be consumed within 7 days, as it does not contain any preservatives.
Want to guarantee that your steak dinners are never lacking in chimichurri sauce? We’ll provide you with all the information you need and more. Here, we’ll examine the shelf life of this delicious herb marinade and offer some helpful storage advice.
What Is Chimichurri?
Chimichurri sauce originates from Argentina, where is used as a marinade and flavoring. This source’s popularity has spread throughout the world, and many of us have now enjoyed a chimichurri steak at our favorite grill house. Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce made primarily of chopped fresh parsley. This is combined with oregano, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red pepper flakes, as well as other fresh herbs.
The flavor of chimichurri is difficult to describe; it is similar to pesto but with a hint of spiciness. It adds an intense, bright freshness to dishes, as well as a distinct herby flavor. Chimichurri is traditionally used as both a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak. The sauce is basted on the meat as it cooks and again just before serving. Chimichurri sauce has been incorporated into a variety of modern recipes.
It can be used as a marinade for fish, chicken, and lamb, or it can be mixed into cooked pasta like pesto. It’s also a popular dipping sauce for other grilled meats like sausages or ribs.
How Long Does Chimichurri Last?
Although making fresh chimichurri at home is fairly simple, you also have the choice to purchase a pre-made bottle or jar of sauce from the grocery store. However, whether you made your own or bought a pre-made batch will affect how long the chimichurri will keep. Chimichurri made at home will last less time because only fresh ingredients are used in its preparation. Chimichurri sauce is unique in that it is thought to taste better when it has aged for a short while before being used. This enables the components to ferment together, producing the distinctive flavor we are all familiar with.
The vinegar in homemade chimichurri will aid in its short-term preservation. Chimichurri sauce should keep in the refrigerator for about a week after being freshly made. However, it’s likely that you’ll have used it all long before this! Chimichurri sauce from the store is offered in jars or bottles and has a longer shelf life. It is shelf stable and secure at room temperature when not in use.
Chimichurri sauce purchased from a store and not yet opened typically has a best-before date of six months. Chimichurri sauce from the store can go bad just as quickly as homemade sauce once it’s been opened. Chimichurri sauce must be refrigerated after opening and consumed within three weeks.
What Is The Best Way To Store Chimichurri?
Unopened bottles of chimichurri sauce are typically shelf stable and can be kept at room temperature on a pantry shelf. This should normally be a cool, dark location away from temperature fluctuations and bright lights. Once a bottle of store-bought chimichurri sauce has been opened, it must be refrigerated.
Keep it in its original container or decant it into a smaller container if that is more convenient. To prevent air and bacteria from contaminating the sauce, make sure the bottle or jar is tightly sealed with a secure lid. Homemade chimichurri sauce should be decanted into an airtight container.
Remember that because this sauce contains vinegar and a lot of pungent herbs, it might stain your precious plastic Tupperware! A glass jar with a tight-fitting lid would be a better option. Remember to write the date the sauce was made on the jar. This will help you ensure that everything is consumed before it spoils.
How To Tell If Chimichurri Has Gone Bad
Chimichurri sauce is an intriguing concept because it is made with fresh ingredients that have been gently fermented in vinegar.
This means that a batch of chimichurri sauce will last much longer than a bunch of fresh herbs.
Historically, this sauce was meant to be consumed over a period of several days.
In fact, some people believe that chimichurri sauce tastes best 1-2 days after it is made. The herbs still taste fresh and zingy at this point, but the vinegar has allowed the flavors to blend and mellow.
Both homemade and store-bought chimichurri sauce contain vinegar, which acts as a natural preservative, inhibiting the growth of bacteria.
Chimichurri sauce from the store is usually pasteurized and may contain additional preservatives to help it last even longer.
Chimichurri sauce, like most good things in life, will not last forever!
Eventually, the quality of the fresh herbs will deteriorate and turn bad. There are certain tell-tale signs that chimichurri sauce has begun to deteriorate and go bad.
Appearance
The joy of fresh chimichurri sauce is its bright green hue, which gives cooked steaks a splash of color as well as herby goodness. The fresh herbs will eventually lose their bright green color and turn much darker. You can probably eat your sauce if it is just a little bit darker than usual and there are no other noticeable changes. However, it might not taste as tangy and light as a batch of sauce that was just made. However, if your source’s color changes in any other ways, like having moldy patches, it is definitely past its prime and needs to be thrown away.
Smell
If you take a good whiff of fresh chimichurri sauce, you should only smell fresh herbs and vinegar. When the sauce begins to spoil, you may notice a slightly musty or moldy odor.
Taste
What comes next if your chimichurri sauce passes the visual and olfactory tests? Do not taste it if you have even the slightest inkling that it may be spoiled. But if everything looks good, try it out! Chimichurri sauce should have a fresh flavor and taste herbaceous and earthy. It has probably gone bad if you taste anything strange or unusual. Chimichurri sauce that has gone bad won’t likely cause you any serious health issues, but we wouldn’t recommend taking a chance!
How To Freeze Chimichurri
The good news is that you can freeze chimichurri to extend its shelf life. This method works best if you’ve recently made a batch of homemade chimichurri or if you’ve opened a large bottle of store-bought sauce that won’t be used within a few weeks. Chimichurri freezes best in individual portions, which can be frozen in ice cube trays or small plastic containers depending on how much sauce you need for a family meal.
Once the sauce has been frozen, decant the cubes into a larger airtight container or Ziploc freezer bag. Make a note of the contents and the date it was frozen! Chimichurri sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. It will still be safe to eat after this, but the texture and flavor may have deteriorated.
How To Defrost Chimichurri Sauce
Take your chimichurri sauce out of the freezer the night before you want to use it, if you’re well-organized enough to think ahead. Place the frozen cubes in a bowl with a lid in the refrigerator, and let them slowly defrost over night. But what if you forget or decide to change your dinner plans at the last minute?
Chimichurri sauce cubes can be quickly defrosted by submerging them in a bowl of hot water. Regularly check the water’s temperature and, if necessary, rehydrate it with hot water. Chimichurri sauce can also be defrosted in the microwave if you’re in a rush, but doing so is risky. Overdoing it will cause the sauce to heat up and cook, ruining the herbs’ fresh flavor.
Chimichurri sauce frozen cubes should be put in a microwave-safe container and defrosted for 10 seconds. Once they are partially defrosted, remove them from the microwave and let them finish thawing at room temperature, checking the sauce every 10 seconds.