What is gremolata, and what do you put it on?

Gremolata is the definition of a small effort for a big result. Three ingredients, a knife and a board, and a heavy, rich dish suddenly tastes awake.

The classic version

According to Wikipedia's gremolata entry, gremolata (sometimes gremolada) is a green condiment of chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic, and it is the standard accompaniment to ossobuco alla milanese, the braised veal shank dish of Lombardy. It goes on at the end, sprinkled over the hot dish, so the heat releases the scent of the zest and garlic without cooking them.

That is the whole idea: something raw, sharp and aromatic on top of something slow, soft and rich.

Why it works

Long-cooked dishes tend to taste round and mellow, which is lovely until the third forkful, when everything starts to blur together. Gremolata adds three things at once: the green, grassy freshness of parsley, the perfume of citrus oil from the zest, and the raw bite of garlic. None of them is cooked, so they arrive at full volume. It is the same job a squeeze of lemon or a thread of new olive oil does, just with more texture and more personality.

How we make it

1. Parsley. Flat-leaf parsley, leaves and thin stems, washed and dried well. Wet herbs go mushy on the board.
2. Lemon zest. Grate the zest of an unwaxed lemon, only the yellow. The white pith underneath is bitter. Our page on lemon zest without bitterness explains the technique.
3. Garlic. One small clove is usually plenty. Very finely chopped or grated.
4. Chop together. Pile everything on a board and chop through it all until fine and well mixed. Chopping them together blends the flavours better than stirring them later.

Make it shortly before you need it. Gremolata is at its best fresh, when the zest is still fragrant and the parsley bright.

Beyond tradition

Gremolata belongs anywhere a dish needs lifting. Some of our favourite uses:

• Risotto. Especially a saffron risotto or a mushroom one; scatter a little over each plate.
• Beans and lentils. A bowl of beans with olive oil and gremolata on top is a complete thought.
• Roasted vegetables. Cauliflower, carrots, squash, potatoes: toss them with gremolata straight out of the oven.
• Grilled courgettes and aubergines. With extra olive oil.
• Soups. A spoonful on minestrone or a bean soup.
• Pasta. Toss through spaghetti with olive oil, chilli and toasted breadcrumbs. Our page on pangrattato covers the breadcrumbs.
• Eggs. On a fried egg or a frittata.

Variations

The same Wikipedia entry notes that other citrus, such as orange or lime, sometimes replaces the lemon, and that other herbs such as mint or sage can go in. Some cooks add pecorino, pine nuts or other strong ingredients. We like:

• Orange gremolata with a little thyme, for roasted squash or carrots.
• Mint and lemon gremolata for peas, broad beans or courgettes.
• Crunchy gremolata, with toasted breadcrumbs or chopped nuts stirred in at the last minute.

Mixing the gremolata with olive oil turns it into a loose dressing, closer to a salsa verde: see Italian salsa verde for that territory.