This Costa Rican chimichurri is a fresh, vibrant tomato salsa perfect for topping grilled meats, plantains, and more. Quick, healthy, and packed with flavor!
Sometimes you just need a low-calorie sauce that’s packed with flavor. This Costa Rican chimichurri recipe perfectly fits the bill. It’s the perfect Costa Rican side dish that you can slather on top of almost anything!
About This Costa Rican Chimichurri Recipe
This Costa Rican chimichurri recipe is served with almost every meal possible in Costa Rica. It’s made from ingredients readily available year-round in Costa Rica (tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, and salt) and adds a pop of flavor to almost any recipe.
Generally made fresh before serving, traditional chimichurri is as delicious on grilled meat as it is on top of nachos or fried plantains. The most important part of chimichurri, however, is the aesthetic. When created with fresh ingredients, the mix of the red tomato color and the green cilantro color dresses up any dish as much visually as it does taste-wise.
This recipe is very similar to a Mexican pico de gallo–in fact, many people in Costa Rica also call this recipe pico de gallo. The names can be used interchangeably.
SEE ALSO: 30 Best Costa Rican Recipes On Earth
At restaurants that serve bocas (appetizers) many of the dishes will come with a small portion of chimichurri in a ramekin so you can add as much or as little as you like to your appetizer. In homes, there will often be a larger bowl of chimichurri that gets passed around.
This recipe is not spicy- it’s more similar to a Mexican pico de gallo than a salsa. It’s gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Don’t confuse this recipe with Argentine chimichurri, which uses more green fresh herbs and oil.
Chimichurri Costa Rica Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ripe red tomatoes, diced into 1/8″ cubes (I use hothouse tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or more to taste)
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve at room temperature, family-style on the table with a spoon, or atop your favorite Costa Rican recipe.
Substitutions
This chimichurri Costa Rica recipe is pretty simple and pretty standard. You can really use any type of tomato, I often use Roma tomatoes when I can’t get ripe hothouse tomatoes. This recipe really doesn’t work with canned tomatoes- I tried it once and it was just not good.
I also tried to use lemon juice once instead of fresh lime–no bueno. You could use the lime juice from the container that they sell in grocery stores, but the recipe doesn’t taste the same.
RELATED: Our Super Popular Costa Rican Chifrijo Recipe
Our Most Popular Costa Rican Recipes:
- Traditional Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe
- Super Easy and Delicious Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
- Costa Rican Black Bean Dip Recipe
- Olla Carne- Costa Rican Vegetable Beef Stew Recipe
Variations – Chimichurri Costa Rica
Again, this is a traditional Costa Rican recipe, and ticos are pretty staunch when it comes to traditional food. You really won’t find many variations on this traditional recipe. (I can’t think of any, in fact!)
Serving Suggestions
You can literally serve Costa Rican chimichurri with anything. However, there are some Costa Rican dishes that lend themselves more to a chimichurri accompaniment:
You wouldn’t serve this dish with an arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) or an arroz con camarones (shrimp and rice). It’s not traditionally served in restaurants with Gallo Pinto. It’s not served with Costa Rican tamales, really, either.
Chimichurri Costa Rica Printable Recipe
Costa Rican Chimichurri Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup ripe red tomatoes, diced into 1/8" cubes (I use hothouse tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or more to taste)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve at room temperature, family-style on the table with a spoon, or atop your favorite Costa Rican recipe.
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