Salmoriglio

Warm sauce made with oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, and lemon, ideal for seasoning roasted or grilled fish.

4 servings

Easy

Sicily

EasySicily

Salmoriglio is an aromatic and fragrant sauce designed to accompany roasted or grilled fish. Its purpose is to enhance the cooking and natural delicacy of the fish with a fluid, fresh, and flavorful condiment, combining the smoothness of oil with the liveliness of lemon. Garlic and parsley create the aromatic base, while fresh oregano adds a distinctive herbaceous note. Preparation requires a short step. in a double boiler: a gentle heating process, without boiling, allows the flavors to blend and release their aromas. Lemon juice is added when the sauce is lukewarm, thus preserving a distinct citrus flavor and maintaining the seasoning's balance. Salmoriglio is ideal for simple serving, where the sauce complements the fish without overpowering its flavor. This recipe is considered a traditional Sicilian dish.

Instructions

Voice reading

7 steps · natural Italian voice

Chop the herbs

Finely chop the cloves of garlic and parsley, so as to distribute the flavors evenly throughout the sauce. Chop the garlic into very small pieces and the parsley into fine pieces, leaving no large pieces.

Combine the ingredients

Pour the olive oil into a bowl and add the garlic, parsley, fresh oregano, and salt. Leave out the lemon juice for now, as it will be incorporated after heating. Stir until smooth, with the herbs evenly distributed throughout the oil.

Emulsify the sauce

Mix vigorously the mixture To combine the oil with the herbs and salt, process until the chopped ingredients appear evenly suspended in the oil and the sauce becomes slightly thicker and more compact, with no obvious separation between the oily and aromatic components.

Add a little water

Add a small amount of water and mix again. The water should make the sauce more fluid without excessively diluting its flavor: check that the mixture remains well mixed and that the garlic, parsley and oregano remain distributed in the oil.

Heat in a double boiler

Put the bowl in a double boiler for a few minutes and let the sauce cool, without bringing it to a boil. Gently heat it until it releases the aromas of garlic and herbs, but maintains a thin consistency and shows no signs of overcooking.

Complete with lemon

Remove the sauce from the bain-marie and add the juice of half a lemon when the mixture It's lukewarm. Stir carefully until evenly distributed: the salmoriglio should be smooth, fragrant, and well-balanced between the oily component, the flavors, and the acidic note.

Serve on fish

Use salmoriglio to season roasted or grilled fish. Pour it over the still-warm fish or serve it separately, ensuring the chopped herbs and liquid seasoning are evenly distributed across the surface of the fish.

Chef's Tips

The editors recommend adding the lemon juice only after the bain-marie, when the sauce is lukewarm: this way, the citrus aroma remains more distinct and the emulsion maintains a balanced flavor.