Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (2024)

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This simple 3 ingredient Italian recipe sure packs a big punch! If you’re looking to give your dish an Italian twist, Classic Italian Gremolata is the perfect accompaniment. This is an incredibly flavorful addition to everything from pasta to fish, chicken, vegetables, risotto, and an array of dishes! Whatever the dish – even noodles – Gremolata will take it from basic to beyond delicious in just a few minutes!

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (1)

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe

In Italian tradition, Italian Gremolata is traditionally served on osso buco which originates from Milan, but as I’ve said, it goes with so many dishes you’ll never run out of new options to try! This recipe really is a superb way to enhance any dish with its bright flavor and dart of color. And the best thing about it? All you need to make this recipe is some parsley, garlic, and lemon zest!

Ingredients in Gremolata

  • parsley, coarsely chopped
  • garlic, minced
  • lemon, organic is best
  • lemon juice
  • salt

How To Make Classic Italian Gremolata (a 3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce)

  1. Make sure your knife is sharpened before finely chopping up the parsley and garlic together. Having a super sharp knife will make sure you make clean cuts through the parsley leaves so you’re not just banging at them with a dulled knife blade.
  2. Add the lemon zest and keep chopping the ingredients up until they’re completely combined and the size you want for serving, i.e. do you want more texture or more of a sauce consistency?
  3. Add in some lemon juice to taste as soon as you’re happy with the texture. I also like to add some sea salt which really isn’t the norm with this dish but I think it makes it just perfect and brings out all the flavor of the ingredients.

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (2)

Tips And Tricks For Making Gremolata

  • Pick up some organic lemon if you can since you’ll only be using the zest of it.
  • Get your garlic as fresh a possible, look for garlic with a white color rather than the yellow and sticky appearance it gets as it ages. The darker garlic will also have a stronger smell that’s actually a little off-putting, whilst fresh garlic will be plump with a smell that’s definitely garlicky but still fresh. If you get stuck with older garlic, though, don’t worry, there’s a solution (been there!). Just remove the stem and blanch it in boiling water for a few minutes to take the edge off the taste.
  • Although parsley, lemon, and garlic are the classic staples of this dish, you can always change it up depending on your preferences and the dish you’re serving it with. For example, you could swap the garlic for shallots or lemon for lime. You could even mix in some other fresh herbs like tarragon with parsley,
  • Gremolata can be kept refrigerated for several days once you keep it in an airtight container!

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (3)More Italian Recipes

These recipes are ALL favorites of ours! I especially love the bolognese and the parmigiana!

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Happy Cooking!

Love,

Karlynn

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (4)

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Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (5)

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce)

This easy Italian Gremolata recipe is made with three ingredients and is perfect for a fresh tasty topping on lamb, fish and many other dishes.

5 from 3 votes

Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (6)

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Prep Time
15 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
19
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic ( around 3-4 cloves depending on the size)
  • 1 organic lemon washed and dried then the entire peel zested
  • lemon juice to taste
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Chop the parsley and garlic together until they're both chopped up together finely.

  • Add in the lemon zest and then continue to chop the the ingredients together until they are well-combined and are the size that you desire for serving. I don't like mine like a sauce, I like some texture to my gremolata.

  • Once you have reached the desired texture, add in some lemon juice to taste.

  • Now, this is NOT traditional, but I added sea salt to mine and it makes it perfect. Add a little salt to taste to bring out the best of these fresh ingredients.

Recipe Notes

If you want a drier gremolata you can spread it out and then bake it on a cookie sheet at a low temperature. I prefer mine to be almost a sauce, with a lot of texture.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 19kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 10mg, Potassium: 136mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1264IU, Vitamin C: 36mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 1mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a co*cktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

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  1. Charlotte says

    Reply

    Oh thank God. I was just looking for a parsley sauce that was simple yet tasted good. Thank you.Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (11)

  2. Marc Evans says

    Reply

    Your website is overcrowded with ads. Between the interspersed still ads and the videos, it’s barely useful anymore, and very annoying. Have been a big fan until now.

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Classic Italian Gremolata Recipe (3 Ingredient Parsley Sauce) (2024)

FAQs

Which herb is usually used in gremolata? ›

Gremolata is traditionally made with just three ingredients: flat-leaf parsley, fresh garlic, and lemon zest. You finely chop the parsley, then mix it with grated garlic and lemon zest (which work together to tame the bitter herb into gentle submission).

What's the difference between gremolata and chimichurri? ›

While both include parsley and garlic, their other ingredients impart distinct tastes and textures — gremolata has lemon zest and chimichurri gets its acidity from vinegar. And while chimichurri incorporates olive oil and vinegar, gremolata does not, so it's dry.

What is gremolata Italian to English? ›

Gremolata (Italian: [ɡremoˈlaːta]) or gremolada ( Italian: [ɡremoˈlaːda]; Lombard: [ɡremuˈlaːda]) is a green sauce made of chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. It is the standard accompaniment to the Milanese braised veal shank dish ossobuco alla milanese.

What is parsley sauce made of? ›

Parsley sauce is a quick and simple sauce that can be extremely delicious. This parsley sauce recipe is made of fresh parsley, butter, English mustard, milk, and flour. It's a great way to give a basic white sauce a gentle flavor and use an abundance of parsley.

What are the three main Italian herbs? ›

What Are the Spices in Italian Seasoning?
  • Rosemary- this herb grows abundantly all over the Italian countryside and is used in meat marinades and with grilling. ...
  • Basil- is probably the most loved herb in the entire country of Italy. ...
  • Oregano- this herb is a key ingredient in pasta dishes of Southern Italy.

What herb do Italians use the most? ›

Basil (ital. "basilico") is probably the best known and most popular herb in Italian cuisine. It is also called the royal herb. No wonder, after all, it "ennobles" many dishes: for example, the antipasti classic Caprese with fruity tomatoes or a wonderfully aromatic pesto with fresh, homemade pasta.

What is another name for a gremolata? ›

gremolata (also called gremolada) is an Italian chopped herb condiment or dressing made with lemon zest, chopped parsley, and garlic.

How to make chimichurri sauce Bobby Flay? ›

He starts by adding flat-leaf parsley to the processor and tops it with a bit of fresh oregano. He then adds fresh cilantro, red wine vinegar, lots of black pepper, fresh garlic and smoked paprika to the processor. He tops it off with salt and a healthy amount of olive oil and purees it.

What is traditional chimichurri made of? ›

Ingredients:
  1. 1 bunch of parsley.
  2. 4-5 gloves of garlic.
  3. 2 tablespoons of dried oregano.
  4. 1 tablespoon of red chili flakes.
  5. 12 tablespoons of good olive oil.
  6. 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar.
  7. 3-4 bay leaves.
  8. Salt to taste.
Jul 24, 2023

Why do Italians use parsley? ›

Parsley is found commonly in seafood and vegetable sauces, and in most pasta dishes, sauces, and soups. It is appreciated in Italian cuisine for its complement to spicy dishes, and is used in bouquet garni – along with bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and sage.

Which parsley is Italian? ›

You can easily tell the two apart, since curly parsley has a distinct ruffled appearance (see image below), whereas Italian parsley is similar in appearance to cilantro, with leaves that are straight and flat (see image above).

What is garlic called in Italy? ›

This doesn't stop it from being at the centre of many classic Italian dishes that exist today, like pesto alla genovese, pizza marinara, bagna cauda, spaghetti alle vongole and of course aglio e olio, where the Italian word for garlic (aglio) even makes it to the name of the dish.

How to make James Martin parsley sauce? ›

To make the parsley sauce, melt the butter until foaming, whisk in the flour and gradually add the milk. Season and then stir in the parsley and mustard at the last minute. Serve with buttered new potatoes and the parsley sauce.

Why does my parsley sauce taste like flour? ›

Cook the Flour Longer: If your sauce tastes like raw flour, it's possible that the flour hasn't been cooked long enough. Try cooking the sauce over low to medium heat for a few minutes longer, stirring constantly, to allow the flour to cook and the raw taste to dissipate.

What is the closest ingredient to parsley? ›

9 parsley substitutes for cooking and garnishes
  • Arugula.
  • Basil.
  • Carrot greens.
  • Celery leaves.
  • Chervil.
  • Chives.
  • Cilantro.
  • Oregano.
Jun 29, 2021

What is a substitute for chimichurri sauce? ›

So, when I'm feeling like a light sauce to put on my steak, I use a persillade instead. The classic French sauce consists of fresh parsley, garlic, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. This combination is both refreshing and packed with flavor.

What does chimichurri taste like? ›

If we could only use one word to describe chimichurri sauce, it would be “bright.” The combination of fresh cilantro and parsley pack an herbaceous flavor, while the red pepper flakes bring a hint of spice. Add in the garlic's spicy, pungent flavor and the vinegar's acidic tang, and that's chimichurri.

Why do they call it chimichurri? ›

There are various legends about the birth of chimichurri and its name, with the most famous claiming that it was 19th-Century Irish immigrant James (Jimmy) McCurry, who, longing for Worcestershire sauce – a popular condiment in the UK and Ireland that's made of vinegar, molasses, garlic, anchovies and other ingredients ...

What is the biggest difference between a pesto and a chimichurri? ›

Pesto is an Italian sauce made with basil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. Chimichurri is an Argentine sauce made with parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red chili peppers or flakes. Chimichurri doesn't contain nuts or cheese. Basil pesto is smooth, salty, and slightly nutty.

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