The french adore sauces. It may be why their cuisine is so beloved. Who doesn’t love a good sauce? I imagine romances have been launched over the making of a perfect béarnaise.
But the classic French sauces are a subject for another day. Today we are going to lighten things up a little, and give you two spring sauces that will serve you well for the festive summery season ahead (estival in French). Both have endless variations, and can be whipped up in a flash--don't even think about getting that measuring cup out of the cabinet.
The first sauce I discovered at a restaurant, when I was about 20, and we are not going to talk about how long ago THAT was. I was served the simplest of salads: butter lettuce, topped with a sliced boiled egg, a pinkish creamy dressing, and some chopped chives. Magnifique! I rushed home and mixed up a version that was as close as I could get and I've been making that dressing/sauce ever since, pimping it up as desired.
The sauce is great as a salad dressing, a dipping sauce for French fries, and it's really good with cold shellfish or other seafood. The basic ingredients are below. I've since learned that there are as many possible additions as there are chefs, and many cultures make some version of it.
- mayo
- ketchup, or chili sauce
- something acidic to thin it
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- Your favorite additions (see recipe below. For my own version, a splash of brandy is the secret ingredient)
The Gullah community in Charleston call it Pink Sauce; they add grated onion to the above.
A Japanese version is happily named Yum Yum sauce. It has a similar base, with some Asian additions, like rice vinegar and sesame oil.
Then there is the famous Mississipi Comeback Sauce, with it's quirky name. This one is over the top and starts with the mayo/ketchup combo but includes lots of spicy additions, like wostershire sauce and paprika.
See my own version of this international pink sauce below. The closest French equivalent to this sauce, by the way, is a remoulade sauce, with similar ingredients but with mustard instead of ketchup. It's a closer relative to what we call tarter sauce.
The second sauce is lighter fare. It's a simple, herby, cilantro vinagerette-type sauce to put over fresh fish or vegetables or meats. Our friends Derek and Debbie, Australian/Canadian expats, served us this recently. Light and fresh and perfect for summer. Below, see what our friends put under that tasty sauce. Bonne fête!
RECIPE: Lynn's Pink Sauce
Mix together: 2 parts mayo to one part ketchup, or use Heniz's chili sauce. Add a splash of brandy. Thin it with lemon juice to the desired consistency. Add sea salt and ground pepper to taste, and a dash of Srirscha or any hot sauce, if you want heat. I stir in some chopped fresh chives if I have them, and a small clove of cushed garlic if I want a stronger flavor, like if I'm serving it with shrimp.
You can also stir in: other favorite herbs, shallots, diced pickles, capers, whatever makes you happy. Start with the basics, and it's a sauce to play with. I make it with lime juice instead of lemon when I serve it with a tuna poké bowl; that recipe is here.
RECIPE: Derek and Debbie's Summer Salmon with Cilantro Sauce
Our second sauce, served with seafood and colorful toppers, is a great one-dish meal for a summer party. The sauce doubles as a marinade. Even if cilantro isn't your favorite, you'll find this combo as fresh as a spring breeze. Still, you could use any soft fresh herbs you like. Use a white fish instead of salmon if you prefer. No measurements needed here, just use les yeux.
For the marinade/sauce: Pour out really good olive oil, add lots of lime juice and tons of chopped cilantro. You could also make it with lemon juice, or orange; add basil or parsley or chives or some of each; throw in some garlic, or mustard, or shallots. You could add just a splash of Worcestershire, fish sauce, soy sauce, or hot sauce.
Make the sauce, reserve half and marinate the fish in the remaining half for about an hour. Sauté, grill, or bake the salmon. Plate the filets and top with roasted peppers and avocado slices. Drizzle the remaining sauce over all.
Favorite READS: Karim, thank you for helping us polish up our French! For anglo reading in French, not too challenging to be discouraging, Karim recommends the author Christian Bobin. You can find some of the titles on Amazon.
Looking for Bloggers and Authors in the Southern Fried French community! Are you a blogger or an author who writes about anything related to the South or to France? Many of our readers are--and if you are one of them, I'd love for you to share with us. Drop me an email about it, I'd love to talk to you about a guest post.
