Greek Dips and Sauces
Ladolemono Recipe (Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Sauce)
Λαδολέμονο lah-thoh-LEH-moh-noh · Ladolemono
Photo: Olives, Olive Oil and House-made Turkish Bread - Ottoman Cuisine by avlxyz, CC BY-SA 2.0. Placeholder until original photography is shot.
In short
Ladolemono is Greek cooking's most fundamental sauce, olive oil and lemon juice whisked together with a little oregano and salt, used to dress grilled fish, vegetables and meat. Getting the ratio right, roughly three parts oil to one part lemon, is the entire skill involved.
Ladolemono turns up constantly across Greek cooking without ever demanding its own dedicated recipe, since most people learn it simply as a ratio rather than a written formula: good olive oil and fresh lemon juice, whisked with a little oregano and salt, poured over grilled fish, vegetables or meat right before serving. It deserves a proper page of its own, since getting the balance genuinely right makes a real difference to everything it touches.
There is no cooking involved and barely any technique, which is exactly why the quality of the two main ingredients matters so much. A mediocre olive oil or bottled lemon juice gives a mediocre sauce, since there is nothing else here to hide behind.
Once you have the base ratio down, it is worth knowing as a genuine building block rather than reaching for a written recipe every time, since it appears across dozens of dishes on this site alone.
Key preparation steps
- Whisk olive oil and lemon juice in roughly a three-to-one ratio.
- Add oregano, salt and a little crushed garlic if using.
- Whisk hard until slightly emulsified.
- Use immediately, warmed or at room temperature, over hot grilled food.
Getting the ratio right
Roughly three parts good olive oil to one part fresh lemon juice is the standard starting ratio, though this is genuinely a matter of taste and worth adjusting: more lemon for a sharper, brighter sauce suited to rich, oily fish, less for something milder over delicate vegetables. Always taste and adjust rather than trusting a fixed formula blindly.
Whisking it properly
Whisk the oil and lemon juice together hard, with a fork or small whisk, until the mixture turns slightly cloudy and holds together rather than separating immediately into two distinct layers. It will not form a stable, thick emulsion the way a mayonnaise does, and it is not meant to, but a good hard whisk just before using gives a far better, more evenly coating sauce than oil and lemon simply stirred together.
Add a little dried oregano, salt, and, if you like, a small amount of finely crushed garlic, whisking these in at the same time.
Using it
Pour ladolemono over hot grilled fish, meat or vegetables right before serving, never as a marinade for raw ingredients, since this is specifically a finishing sauce meant to hit hot food and bring both freshness and richness at the point of serving. Warming it very gently just before pouring, rather than using it cold from the fridge, helps it coat evenly over a hot dish.
Tips from my kitchen
Use good olive oil and fresh lemon juice
With only a few ingredients and no cooking involved, quality here makes a real and immediate difference.
Whisk hard just before using
It will not stay emulsified for long, so give it a proper whisk right before pouring rather than trusting a batch made hours earlier.
Adjust the ratio to what it is dressing
More lemon suits rich, oily fish; less suits delicate vegetables. Taste and adjust rather than following a fixed formula blindly.
Ladolemono Recipe (Greek Olive Oil and Lemon Sauce)
Λαδολέμονο · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 5m
- Cook
- None
- Total
- 5m
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic if using, and a good pinch of salt in a small jar or bowl.
- Whisk or shake hard until the mixture turns slightly cloudy and holds together.
- Taste and adjust the lemon-to-oil balance to your preference.
- Use immediately, poured over hot grilled fish, meat or vegetables.
Nutrition, per 2 tbsp
- Calories
- 168
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Sat fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Ladolemono
What is ladolemono used for?
It is Greek cooking's default finishing sauce for grilled fish, meat and vegetables, poured over hot off the grill rather than used as a marinade.
Can you make ladolemono ahead of time?
It can be mixed ahead, but the oil and lemon will separate on standing, so give it a proper hard whisk again just before serving rather than pouring it straight from a jar that has been sitting.
What is the ideal oil to lemon ratio?
Roughly three parts olive oil to one part lemon juice is the standard starting point, though it is genuinely a matter of taste and worth adjusting depending on what it is dressing.
