Sauce Vierge
A kitchen essential
Sauce vierge is one of my favourite dressings, it is easy to make and incredibly versatile. It features in one form or another on most of my menus, be it fish, meat or grilled vegetables.
The beauty of sauce vierge is that not ony is it excellent in its own right it is a perfect base for many other flavourings from citrus to chilli, herbs to spices and so on.
A Basic Recipe For Sauce Vierge (4 portions)
85ml (3fl oz) Olive Oil 25ml (1 fl oz) Lemon Juice 2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into small dice 6-7 crushed coriander seeds 6-8 basil leaves finey shredded
Gently warm the olive oil in a small pan, do not overheat. Add the emon juice and remove from the heat. Add the coriander seeds and basil and leave to infuse for a few minutes before adding the tomato.
That’s it! Now you can add spice pastes such as harissa or chermoula, different herbs such as tarragon or thyme, garlic, beans, blood orange or grapefruit instead of lemon and so on.
Try it over grilled fish or roast red meat, a spoon drizzed over the sliced meat along with the roasting juices is quite something. My new lamb dish has sauce vierge with the addition of some blanched broad beans, this coupled with a slice of anchovy butter and a reduction of lamb stock brings the whole dish together.
Miles,
I’d say that was vierging on the sublime
Cid
April 8, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
Cid,
Very good-but don’t give up the day job
April 8, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
Miles
Looks good enough to eat
I shall try it over grilled fish, thank you.
Elsie
April 8, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
Elsie,
It’s really easy, just don’t get the oil too hot. You can use it in place of vinaigrette or stick some fresh mint in it and mix it through some freshly boiled new potatoes-pucker as Jamie would say!
Miles
April 8, 2008 @ 9:34 pm
Hmmm, not the Vierge I was taught, but very close. I always make this after the first successful day of trout season. (Lets not talk about Sunday’s opener) Basically, your recipe with capers and chives added, served on top of trout fillet, a potato - leek gratin, a nice crusty loaf and bright crisp Sauvignon Blanc. For me it is the official beginning of spring. I’m going fishing again tomorrow, so even though it was 60+ deg F (16 C) today it’s not Spring until I bring home some trout! might be a long winter . . .
April 9, 2008 @ 3:25 am
By the way, your photography is spectacular. Pavlov’s blog.
April 9, 2008 @ 4:03 am
Dave,
Glad to hear you are fishing-”tight lines” as we say over here!
All kinds of variations exist but the classic foundation sauce is as above. Some add chopped shallots, even balsamic vinegar. Your recipe with capers for a grilled trout sounds great. Thanks for your kind comment, that said I shall be posting photographs from my early chef career over the coming months, I’m not sure what Pavlov would have made of those
Miles
April 9, 2008 @ 7:29 am
Still no trout - off to northern New Jersey tomorrow. Some beautiful streams up there, places I fished as a kid. I have a few questions to ask you about sauces - but I a have had more than a few and don’t want to start rambling on.
April 9, 2008 @ 11:49 pm
Dave,
You don’t need to talk to me about those elusive trout-I’ve had my fair share of blank days
I didn’t realise New Jersey had such surrounding areas, I naturally presumed it would be heavily industrialised. I look forward to hearing about it.
April 10, 2008 @ 7:10 am