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    Gremolata Recipe

    Billy Parisi
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    This tasty classic gremolata recipe made of parsley, lemon, and garlic, comes together in minutes and will help add flavor to your next dish. You won’t believe how simple this s to prepare.

    I believe a simple sauce, or just a touch of seasoning, can help elevate any dish. If you’re looking for a few ways to enhance your next recipe, try adding on my chimichurri sauce or beurre blanc.

    parsley and garlic in a jar with lemon zest

    Gremolata

    Gremolata is a classic Italian garnish made from minced parsley, lemon peel, and garlic. It is traditionally served over Osso Bucco but can be added to other dishes to help brighten them up.

    I’ve often used gremolata, or a variation of it with a few other ingredients mixed in, to help liven up simply cooked proteins like beef, chicken, pork, or fish, to help enhance the flavor. Gremolata is a very easy-to-make topping that makes a dish go a long way.

    What You’ll Need to Make Gremolata

    • Parsley – Classically, Italian flat leaf parsley is used, but you can substitute with curly parsley if that is all available.
    • Lemon – You will need only the lemon zest for this recipe, and it is best to use a Microplane to get it.
    • Garlic – 1 finely minced garlic clove adds a nice punch of flavor to this.
    ingredients to make gremolata

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Use these easy-to-follow procedures with images to make this tasty gremolata recipe:

    Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest, and finely minced garlic to a small bowl.

    lemon zest in a bowl with parsley

    Mix with a spoon until combined, and chill or serve.

    mixing together gremolata

    Make Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time. Simply keep it covered in the refrigerator.

    How to Store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Cover the gremolata and freeze for up to 2 months. I like to put them in silicone ice cream trays and pull them out as needed.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    Chef Notes + Tips

    • Just like in a soup recipe, this will taste better a few days later as flavors will infuse more.
    • Feel free to use most of the stems on the parsley as there is tons of flavor in them.  Be sure to finely mince so that nothing is crunchy or hard to eat.
    • In my Pork tenderloin recipe, I mixed ¼ cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, salt, and pepper to the gremolata and mixed until combined for a sweet, seasoned version.

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    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Gremolata Recipe

    jar of gremolata with parsley and lemon
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    5 from 3 votes
    This delicious homemade gremolata is a classic garnish I make with finely minced Italian flat leaf parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Three ingredients, 10 minutes, and the brightest, most garlicky finish I put on my osso buco, roasted meats, and pasta.
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 1 bunch finely minced fresh flat leaf parsley
    • Zest of 1 large lemon
    • 1 finely minced garlic clove

    Instructions

    • Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest, and finely minced garlic to a small bowl.
    • Mix with a spoon until combined and chill or serve.

    Notes

    To achieve the most delicious gremolata, I highly recommend mincing the parsley finer than seems reasonable, and then mincing it again. Why? The answer is simple: gremolata that isn’t minced finely enough sits on top of the food as a pile of chopped herbs instead of blending into it, and a spoonful of raw garlic chunks over a perfect osso buco is one of the mistakes I see home cooks make over and over again. So please, hear me out on this one, and I promise you’ll end up with the best gremolata you’ve ever imagined.
    Use the stems on the parsley: Most of the flavor in flat-leaf parsley is concentrated in the stems, so mince them right along with the leaves instead of throwing them out.
    The garnish is better the next day: Fresh gremolata is fine right out of the bowl, but a few hours in the fridge or a full day of resting lets the parsley soften into the lemon oil and the garlic mellow into the herbs. If there is time to make it ahead, do.
    Anchovy is a traditional add: A single finely minced anchovy fillet folded in adds a hit of salty umami depth that takes the gremolata closer to a classical Italian finishing sauce. Skip it if the crowd is anti-anchovy, but a fillet in a whole bowl of gremolata is undetectable as fish.
    Freeze in silicone trays for quick access: A batch of gremolata portioned into a silicone ice cube tray and frozen keeps for a couple months and thaws in about 20 minutes on the counter. One cube dropped into a pot of white beans or a bowl of pasta gives a weeknight dinner a real Italian finish. I can’t recommend this enough!
    Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time. Simply keep it covered in the refrigerator.
    How to Store: I cover the bowl or transfer the gremolata into a small sealed container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. The parsley will darken a touch after a few days but the flavor holds fine.
    How to Freeze: I portion leftover gremolata into a silicone ice cube tray, freeze until solid, then pop the cubes into a labeled freezer bag for up to 2 months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1kcalCarbohydrates: 0.1gProtein: 0.03gFat: 0.003gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.001gSodium: 0.1mgPotassium: 2mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 0.01gVitamin A: 11IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.01mg
    Course: sauce, Topping
    Cuisine: Italian
    Author: Chef Billy Parisi

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      9 comments

        • bee

        I’m curious if this needs olive oil? I’m doing this with your Osso Buco (altho mine is beef), and my gremolata seems dry enough I could sprinkle it

          • Chef Billy Parisi

          It’s meant to be a dry, loose topping.

        • Ruthie Koval

        I made it the first time.
        it was fabulous
        I let it the meat cook an additional 30-35 min. since I live on 7’200 ft. and it came out perfect and soft.

          • Chef Billy Parisi

          Appreciate you giving it a try!

        • Mary

        It sounds delicious, I think I’ll make it soon.

        Thanks very much for the well written information on OssoBuco.

        • G MacLean
        • 5 stars

        Had this on Easter Sunday with Osso Bucco, mediterranian vegetables, garlic mashed spuds & gravy. It was delicious!!

          • Chef Billy Parisi

          Fantastic!

        • sue 😁
        • 5 stars

        Thank you ChefBilly wonderful sharing etc 😁😋👋🤩

        • Catrina
        • 5 stars

        I’m going to try this recipe. It sounds delicious

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