Sauce gribiche is a chilled sauce that’s similar to tartar sauce. It is served with seafood, as well as cold meats and vegetables. In French cooking, it is traditionally served in the spring with asparagus. Sauce gribiche is an emulsification made with hard-cooked egg yolk, oil and vinegar; it can be challenging to make from scratch. This quick and easy weeknight version is made more healthful by using store-bought light mayonnaise as the base and is packed with herbs and seasoning. Ounce per ounce, this weeknight sauce gribiche is lower in calories and fat and more nutritionally dense than plain mayonnaise. It’s creamy, bright and herbaceous, hitting all the top flavor notes.
The main flavor components of sauce gribiche are low-calorie cornichons and capers. A traditional accompaniment to charcuterie platters and cheese boards, cornichons are pickled in vinegar, and have a tart flavor and crunchy texture. (They are not the same as sweet gherkins and should not be used interchangeably.) Capers are the pickled flower buds of a bush native to the Mediterranean and can be found bottled in brine or salt.
Sauce gribiche is an all-purpose dressing that can be used as a sauce or a spread, a dip or a drizzle. It’s so bold and flavorful that a little goes a long way. It makes a fantastic accompaniment for grilled and broiled vegetables like this asparagus.
Blistered Lemon Asparagus with Weeknight Sauce Gribiche
Asparagus spears are sold in different sizes, from smaller than a pencil to as big around as your thumb. It’s a matter of personal preference and availability, but I suggest roughly pencil-size for this recipe.
- 1 pound asparagus, stem ends trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced for garnish
- 8 tablespoons Weeknight Sauce Gribiche (see recipe)
- Adjust the top oven rack to 4 inches from the broiler. Heat the oven to broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the asparagus on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and shake the baking sheet to coat the spears. Add the lemon slices to the sides of the pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until the asparagus is tender and both the asparagus and lemons are slightly browned and blistered, about 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler.
- Serve asparagus with Weeknight Sauce Gribiche on the side.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 115 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 4 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams total sugars, 3 grams fiber, 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 32 milligrams cholesterol, 175 milligrams sodium.
Weeknight Sauce Gribiche
This recipe makes more than is needed for the Blistered Lemon Asparagus with Weeknight Sauce Gribiche. Use it as a sandwich spread, crudite dip and to accompany other grilled and broiled vegetables, lean meats and fish.
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 6 cornichons, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon nonpareil capers, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and lemon juice, eggs, shallot, cornichons, mustard and capers. Add the parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Keeps in a refrigerated airtight container for up to 5 days.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
Per 2-tablespoons serving: 52 calories (percent of calories from fat, 69), 2 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 32 milligrams cholesterol, 172 milligrams sodium.
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