This Italian gremolata recipe makes a fragrant zesty Italian condiment that’s versatile, comes together quickly, and is fantastic stirred into soups, sprinkled onto pasta or spooned onto grilled meats, seafood and vegetables. A classic gremolata is made with fresh parsley, lemon zest and garlic, but you can get creative with different herbs and spices, while we add capers to this one.
A breeze to prepare, this gremolata recipe will make you a refreshing, perfumed, citrusy Italian condiment that brightens up soups, pastas, fish, vegetables, and braised, roasted and grilled meats. We love to use it in this speedy canned sardine pasta recipe. Originating from Milan and Northern Italy’s region of Lombardy, gremolata is mostly associated with osso buco, but it’s brilliant on absolutely everything.
If you made our recipe for pangrattato, also called mollica di pane in Italy, and another quick and easy Italian condiment – that one made from crispy breadcrumbs with fresh parsley, grated Parmigiano, and lemon zest – and you enjoyed adding that to your meals, then you’ll also love this gremolata recipe.
Sprinkling condiments such as gremolata and pangrattato on dishes – or Japanese furikake seasoning, or dukkah, the Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice condiment, or even homemade croutons – is the quickest and easiest way to add flavour and/or texture to dishes and are a time-saver when you’re busy or tired.
Gremolata Recipe for the Fragrant Zesty Italian Condiment
A traditional Italian gremolata consists of finely chopped fresh parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic, which can be used dry, without olive oil, showered onto roasted, braised and grilled meats or vegetables, soups and pastas.
You can also stir in extra virgin olive oil for a saucy gremolata – less olive oil, for more of a pesto-like texture – which is fabulous spooned onto roasted vegetables, such as baked potatoes or these hasselback potatoes, or stirred into a pasta, as I love to do with spaghetti.
In Italy, there are regional variations that in Southern Italy include additions such as anchovies and capers, which I’ve added to this gremolata. Italians also use different citrus fruits or combine orange peel with lemon zest.
Finely chopped olives are another great addition. You can also experiment with different fresh herbs, such as fresh dill, mint, basil, or coriander, or spices – such as a sprinkle of chilli flakes. While not traditional, nuts pounded in a mortar and pestle add texture to a dry gremolata.
Tips to Making this Classic Gremolata Recipe
Just a few tips to making this gremolata recipe as it’s another quick and easy condiment that’s made in minutes. No cooking necessary. I’ve spotted recipes that call for ingredients to be blitzed in a small food processor or blender, but there’s really no need. Plus in Italy I’ve only ever seen gremolata with a rough texture, such as that you see above.
All you need to do is combine the chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic clove in a small bowl. I simply use a spoon to stir it together well, and if I’m making a dry gremolata (no olive oil), I refrigerate it until the dish is ready and spoon it on to our pasta, soup, fish, seafood, vegetables, or whatever, just before serving.
For a wet saucier gremolata, just stir through good quality extra virgin olive oil. I also add briny capers to this gremolata in the Southern Italian style. But consider them optional if you prefer to make a classic Italian gremolata. If you’re using capers, you probably won’t need to add salt depending on the brine. Taste the pangrattato and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.
After sprinkling the gremolata onto the dishes, make sure to serve a small bowl of the condiment on the table, just as you would pangrattato, so that guests can sprinkle on more if they like.
While a dry gremolata will only keep in a fridge for a couple of days in a dry airtight jar such as a mason jar, a wet gremolata made with extra virgin olive oil will keep longer as long as it’s covered in olive oil, just as a basil pesto would.
As with the pangrattato, when we shared a recipe for spaghetti pangrattato , I’ve also got a recipe for a sardine spaghetti, which you can shower with this gremolata, which I’ll link to here once we publish it.
Gremolata Recipe with Capers for the Fragrant Zesty Italian Condiment
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley - finely chopped
- 1 lemon - zest only
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 1 tbsp capers - preferably baby capers
- ¼ tsp salt - optional
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - optional
Instructions
- To a small mixing bowl, add the chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, lemon zest, minced garlic clove, and salt, stir to combine well. If you're using capers, don't add salt.
- For a saucy gremolata, add the extra virgin olive oil and stir through,
- Serve or transfer to a sterilised mason jar and refrigerate until needed. Dry or wet gremolata can be sprinkled on or drizzled over pasta, fish, seafood, vegetables, osso bucco, steak, etc.
Nutrition
Please do let us know if make our Italian gremolata recipe for the fragrant zesty Italian condiment as we love to hear how our recipes turn out for you.
