The Healthiest Condiment You’ve Never Heard Of

If you’re looking for a way to liven up your dishes with a great tasting, low-calorie condiment, zesty gremolata is for you.

Gremolata is an Italian chopped herb mix and, as exotic as it sounds, it takes just three ingredients to make: lemon zest, parsley and garlic. It’s full of flavor but has hardly any calories, and it’s naturally fat- and salt-free.

You can mix up a batch and then use it as a delicious accompaniment to grilled meats and fish instead butter- or oil-based sauces. Or toss it with pasta for an alternative to tomato sauce. It makes an especially tasty way to flavor mushrooms for a very healthy side dish.

Basic Gremolata

1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced

Use a vegetable peeler to remove yellow zest from the lemon, being careful not to get any of the bitter white pith layer. Mince the peel and transfer it to small bowl. Note: If you have a microplane grater, you can use it instead to make the zest.

Add the parsley and garlic. Store for up to five days in the fridge. As an accompaniment to a protein, this makes enough for two servings. Multiply the ingredients as needed.

Mushrooms With Gremolata

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound mushrooms, such as button or Cremini
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 batch gremolata

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until mushrooms begin to brown and become tender. Add salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add gremolata. Toss and serve.

Yield: 2 side-dish servings

More information

Learn more about parsley and how to use it for more than a garnish.