6 Sauces Everyone Should Master
Brown-Butter Caper- Raisin Sauce
How to use it: Drizzle over roasted vegetables, seared scallops, or chicken paillard.
Keep in mind: Brown butter gives this sauce a deep, nutty flavor, and it’s easier to make than it sounds. (Basically: Cook the butter.) Call on this sauce, with the classic raisin, caper, parsley combo, to add richness to lean foods, like cauliflower, flaky white fish, chicken, or even plain couscous.
Smoky Salsa Verde
How to use it: Spoon it over fried eggs, a broiled skirt steak, or a roasted pork tenderloin.
Keep in mind: It’s not just sauce; it’s salsa—which means you want cohesive flavor but a little chunkiness, too. Don’t pulse the food processor so long that you end up with a puree. Got leftovers? It’s great with chips.
Fresh Chile-Lime Sauce
How to use it: Over sautéed shrimp, brushed onto corn on the cob, or drizzled over a simple soup, like butternut squash.
Keep in mind: This is essentially a homemade Tabasco, with a hint of sweetness and a little less tang. (Think lime instead of vinegar.) It gets its vibrant red color from fresh Fresno chiles or red jalapeños. If you can’t find them fresh, soak dried red chiles in hot water, drain, then blend with the remaining ingredients.
Mustard-and-Chive Vinaigrette
How to use it: Spoon it over roasted chicken thighs, steamed green beans, or boiled baby potatoes.
Keep in mind: The trick to a silky sauce is getting the oil and vinegar to mix—and stay mixed. Use a blender, and consider making a double batch: Extra sauce makes a great salad dressing or a dip for kids’ chicken fingers.
Yogurt-Dill Sauce
How to use it: Dollop on lamb chops or salmon, or try it on a baked potato as a sour cream alternative.
Keep in mind: This sauce works well as a marinade, too. The yogurt’s lactic acid can help tenderize meat while infusing it with a tangy herb flavor. Coat chicken, steak, or lamb, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.
Almond-Arugula Gremolata
How to use it: Top salmon with a generous helping, or scatter it over flatbread with melted fontina or taleggio for a vegetarian pizza.
Keep in mind: Hand-chopping ensures that each ingredient maintains its own texture and taste—a pop of pungent garlic, bright citrus, peppery arugula. The sauce is bold enough to stand up to strong flavors like braised lamb and cheese.
