The best thing about gremolata is coming up with all the different ways you can use it. Some suggestions include: In a salad, as a zesty dressing To jazz up a simple chicken breast (pictured) or piece of fish As a dipping sauce, with some crusty bread As a tasty plate garnish - with pretty much any cooked meat

Lemon & Parsley Gremolata - Feed Your Sole

Name: Lemon & Parsley Gremolata
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: Small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 1/2 lemon, zest only

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This lemon & parsley gremolata adds a bit of flair to so many dishes. With fresh parsley, zesty lemon, garlic and olive oil it tastes absolutely delicious and it’s perfect for drizzling, dipping or dolloping. While it does take quite a bit of chopping prowess it does only take 5-10 minutes to prepare and it’s so worth it!

What is it?

Gremolata is a traditional Italian green sauce. Traditionally it’s made from parsley, garlic and lemon zest. I like to make it all bound together in some olive oil as I think it looks better. Plus it lasts longer.

There are a lot of different variations you can make with gremolata. I will definitely post some more in the coming months. You could experiment with different herbs, chilli, fruits and more.

Lemon and parsley gremolata from overhead

How long does gremolata keep?

As this recipe uses a good dose of olive oil it will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge and can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I suggest using ice cube trays to portion it out. The olive oil helps prevent air getting to the ingredients.

If you are making a more traditional gremolata and omitting the oil (or using only a splash to bind everything together) then it should be used the same day.

How can I use it?

The best thing about gremolata is coming up with all the different ways you can use it. Some suggestions include:

In a salad, as a zesty dressing
To jazz up a simple chicken breast (pictured) or piece of fish
As a dipping sauce, with some crusty bread
As a tasty plate garnish – with pretty much any cooked meat

I’d love to hear any other suggestions you have – leave a comment below!

Ingredients

This gremolata uses just 4 ingredients – it’s so simple yet ridiculously great for adding an extra pop of colour or flavour! You’ll need:

Fresh lemon – you just need the zest. Use the finer side of a grater or a microplane to scuff around all the edges
Garlic – chop it as fine as you can. You can mince it but discard that tougher, skin-like piece that you get left inside of the mincer (therefore you may need more garlic than described)
Fresh parsley – finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil – since olive oil is the star of this sauce use the best quality you can!

How do you make it?

Gremolata is super simple to make. Get a sharp knife and a chopping board at the ready and start really chopping those herbs and garlic. I used to make this back when I worked in the restaurant, and the chef who taught me to make it always said to chop the parsley until you think it’s done, then chop it some more. You could potentially make this in a food processer, although I’ve never tried that myself.

Once you’ve chopped everything mix together the lemon zest, parsley and garlic and then add the olive oil a little at a time until you have the consistency you like. I like mine quite oily so it works great for drizzling. If you are making it to spoon over meat then you may want to make it a little drier. If you aren’t a fan of too much garlic then you might want to also add this a little at a time until you get the amount you like.

If you are a fan of Italian sauces then also check out this Italian Salsa Verde (which is a more complex, saltier version).

Products that work great for this recipe