Tangy Remoulade for Fish, Meat & Poultry

Remoulade (pron. reh-mooh-lahd).

Sounds like a very fancy thing. Maybe it is but it's also a very cool and all-around great condiment. But what exactly is Remoulade? Mayonnaise with some herbs? Aioli? Tartar sauce? Here's a quick introduction...

First off, it's French. They invented it. Second, it can either be aioli-based or mayo-based. Either way, it is an emulsion. Remoulade can also contain many varying seasonings, spices and herbs such as curry, horseradish, mustard, pickles, paprika or Cajun seasonings. I always say that individual tastes vary so if you like Remoulade, experiment with different recipes. In many countries it is served as a condiment to fish, poultry and grilled meats. It serves also well as a sandwich spread. 

For this Remoulade, I stuck to the classic mayonnaise-based version. However, I took the classic Remoulade a step further and refined it with natural sour cream. Delicious. Now, if you are comfortable making your own Mayonnaise, a wonderful recipe can be found here. It's my go-to recipe when it comes to Dutch Mayo, which I think is the best on this planet in taste and texture. For this Remoulade, though, I cheated a bit and used a healthier low-fat version from Smart Balance and gave it my own personal touch or twist, if you will.

Here's what we'll need...

1.5 cups of low-fat Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp of Sour Cream
1 tsp of garlic powder 
1 shallot, finely minced
1 dill pickle, finely minced
2 Tsp each of, fresh Dill, fresh Chives, fresh Parsley & fresh Tarragon
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tsp of Dijon Mustard (optional)
Sea salt & ground pepper to taste

Ingredients

We'll start out by adding the sour cream, the juice of half a lemon, the mustard (optional) and the garlic powder to the low-fat Mayonnaise and whisk it thoroughly until it's all blended together. Then we'll chop up the fresh herbs and finely mince the shallot and pickle. Add them to the Remoulade. Season lightly with sea salt & pepper.

Herbs, shallot & pickle

Next, we'll fold the herbs, shallot and pickle into the Remoulade by using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Make sure everything's is combined well. Taste. If you think it needs more salt, pepper, maybe some lemon juice or perhaps more mustard, then by all means feel free to add any one or all of those items until your palate screams "Hoooray!" and you're satisfied with the taste. Just add one ingredient at a time, taste and then add another, etc. Like I said before, experiment.

Mixed

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's ready to be used. You can store the Remoulade in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezing it is not such a good idea. Done.

Serve it as a condiment to a great charcoal-grilled steak, fish & chips, pan-fried fish or as a dipping sauce for prawns and shrimps. It even goes exceptional well with spicy Buffalo wings and grilled or roasted chicken.

TIP: For an even tangier version, add a Tbsp of pickle juice to the Mayonnaise when adding the sour cream, etc. It's fantastic.

And remember to experiment. Enjoy!