Cilantro

Sesame & Cilantro Gremolata

June 28, 2018
5
2 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Author Notes

Gremolata is the Milanese answer to Genovese pesto and Argentinian chimichurri: an herby, unblended sauce that cuts through heavier dishes and livens them up. Purist Gremolata is a golden ratio of garlic, lemon zest, and parsley, roughly minced together. But there are endless ways to play with that base. This version, with sesame and cilantro, is great over tofu and forbidden rice, grilled chicken (pictured here) or fish, roasted vegetables, and so much more. —Alison Cayne

Test Kitchen Notes

To read more about gremolata (and two other variations), see the full article. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 lime, zested and juiced
  • 1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated or minced
  • 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 scallion, finely sliced
  • 2 dashes sesame oil
  • 2 dashes sea salt, to taste
Directions
  1. Combining cilantro, zest and ginger. Add in sesame seeds and enough oil to cover. The amount of extra oil you add depends on the consistency you want. Stir in scallions, lime juice, a dash or two of sesame oil and salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

2 Reviews

Lynn S. April 25, 2021
Usually Food52 recipes are pretty reliable and written well. This recipe is a mess. What exactly am I supposed to do in the "combining" stage? The directions make no sense at all and sound like they've been translated from Chinese into Hungarian and then into English.
I've come to the decision to reject ANY recipe that calls for lime zest. It doesn't make the dish limier, it just adds an over powering bitter note.
How much is a "dash" of sea salt anyway?
This recipe is a dud.

Ttrockwood July 2, 2018
I made a half recipe and swapped in lemon for the lime since I don’t like lime much. I also think i used more cilantro than i should have. This is fantastic! It didn’t need quite all the oil to cover it and i wanted a thicker sauce anyhow.
Wonderful on some sliced fresh tofu, also loved this dribbled over some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers