Creole Sauce: the easy recipe

I adopted Creole sauce a bit like adopting a good summer playlist: you put it on the table once, and then you ask for it all the time. Before, I used the famous Dame Besson , where I discovered it with shrimp and fish, and I quickly understood the trick: it's a cold, creamy, well-seasoned sauce with character that isn't complicated to make at home.

In its traditional version, you start with a mayonnaise and mustard base, then build the "pep" with lime, garlic, a little onion (or shallot), herbs, and just the right amount of chili pepper. The small detail that makes all the difference is the resting time: 20 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator, and the flavors meld together. You get a smoother sauce, less "hot at first," but still full of life.

I serve it as an accompaniment to grilled fish, fritters, fries, potato salad, or even a simple platter of raw vegetables. Nutritionally, it's obviously a rich sauce (it's mayonnaise, after all), but it has the advantage of being very flavorful: a small amount is enough, especially if you play with herbs and acidity.

To make it your own, you can adjust three sliders according to your tastes: acidity (more or less lime), heat (mild or hotter chili), and texture (a touch of water to soften it, or on the contrary thicker to coat).

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Creole sauce

Recipe by Nathalie Laplace

5.0 based on 1 vote(s)

Type of dish: accompaniementKitchen: FrenchDifficulty: easy

Parts

4

parts

Preparation time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A creamy and tangy sauce, somewhere between mayonnaise and mustard, with a lovely hint of chili and lime. Perfect served cold, it enhances fish, shrimp, grilled meats, and fries.

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Ingredients

• 180g of mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoon (15g) of Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove

• 40g of spring onion (or 20g of shallot)

• 2 tablespoons of lime juice (approx. 30g)

• 1 tablespoon of chopped flat-leaf parsley (approx. 8g)

• 1 tablespoon of chopped chives (approx. 6g)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon of chili (in a sauce such as Caribbean chili or 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, multiply according to the quantity, according to your tolerance)

• 1 teaspoon of paprika (optional but classic for color)

• 1 tablespoons of cold water (15 to 30g) to adjust the texture

• 1 pinch of fine salt

• Black pepper

Instructions

• Peel and finely grate (or crush) the garlic. Finely slice the spring onion. Chop the parsley and chives.
• In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise and mustard until you obtain a smooth base.
• Add the garlic, spring onion, herbs, paprika, and then the chili pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Pour the lime juice in little by little. Taste as you go: the idea is to have a lively sauce, but not so acidic as to overpower the rest.
• Adjust the texture with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water: the sauce should remain thick enough to coat, but soft enough to be easily served with a spoon.
• Add salt lightly, pepper, then taste and adjust (chili, lemon, salt).
• Cover and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Stir one last time before serving.

📊 Nutritional Information

1 serving (approx. 75g)

* RDA = Recommended Daily Allowance

📝 Notes

Storage: 48 hours in the refrigerator in a clean, sealed container. Remove from the refrigerator 5 minutes before serving to allow it to soften.

💡 Chef's Tips

For a smoother, more even sauce, grate the spring onion rather than slicing it. And to avoid a sauce that's too spicy, add the chili in two stages: you can always add more later, but it's more difficult to add more later.

🔄 Variations

• For a more herbaceous sauce: double the parsley and chives.
• For a more lemony flavor: add a little (very fine) lime zest to boost the aroma without adding too much acidity.

Nathalie Laplace

Food writer for the Simple & Bon website. Passionate about healthy cooking and especially salads, slow-cooked or oven-baked recipes.