Classic French Sauce Gribiche

Sauce Gribiche is a superb French sauce from the early 20th century; it's similar to tartar sauce, but it is made with hard boiled eggs!

This recipe is much more stable and easier to make than mayonnaise or tartar sauce, and it will come together in around 25 minutes.

Tartar Sauce with Hard Boiled Eggs

There are a few sauces that have their home in a classic mayonnaise, with tartar sauce being arguably the most famous.

I think that it is a travesty that sauce gribiche is not as well known as tartar sauce, because it is absolutely tremendous.

In many ways it is very similar to a classic tartar sauce; it has a mayonnaise base, and it is tangy with capers and cornichons.

But its main difference is that it is made with hard-boiled eggs. Yes, you read that right!

The boiled egg yolks are used to make an emulsion, with all of the classic ingredients associated with mayo. Although I add a little horseradish sauce to mine, because the earthy heat plays beautifully with the sharp flavours.

Using boiled egg yolks also results in a much more stable sauce and one far less prone to splitting.

Anyone who has ever made fresh mayo knows of the pain of a split sauce. I've lost count of how many times I have made this sauce, and never once has it split on me.

Then the chopped egg whites get folded in with all of the classic ingredients of a tartar sauce.

It results in the most incredible sauce, but also a sauce that can be safely eaten by people who have to avoid raw egg.

Giving this sauce a much broader appeal, which is just AN Other reason why this sauce deserves a lot more love!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you use "jammy" egg yolks?

Simply because they make getting the initial emulsification of ingredients much easier.

Hard-boiled "chalky" egg yolks take a little more work and do not emulsify quite as well.

Do I have to add the horseradish sauce?

No, this is not a traditional ingredient in sauce gribiche. I seem to recall that I saw it in a recipe by Tom Kerridge a few years ago; I loved it, so it is now a permanent feature in my recipe.

Can I use white wine vinegar?

Yes, this is the traditional vinegar used in this sauce.

Can I use a different type of oil?

Yes, but you want something fairly neutral in flavour. A groundnut oil or something like an avocado oil; avoid strongly flavoured oils like mustard and olive oil.

Can I make this with a machine?

Yes, it works well with a food processor, but you will need to scale it up to have enough volume. But it does work well with a whisk attachment on and immersion blender.

Can I make this in advance?

This sauce will be fine in the fridge for 3, maybe 4 days in an airtight container. Do not freeze this recipe; it does not stand up well at all when defrosted!

Serving Suggestions

I adore sauce gribiche served with fish, and in the pictures on this page, they are served with poached smoked haddock, air-fryer roasted tenderstem broccoli and asparagus.

The bold and salty flavour of the smoked fish works incredibly with the rich but light sauce.

But you could serve it with any white fish, although if the fish is light, I would only serve half of this sauce and save the rest for later.

If you omit the sauce, you can follow my instructions for everything from my pan-fried skate wings, pan fried cod or roasted hake.

This sauce is also awesome with fish cakes, with my smoked haddock fish cakes and smoked mackerel fish cakes being particularly well suited.

It also makes for a top-tier sandwich filling, especially if you have some leftover roast gammon to add into the mix!

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• 15cm or 6" saucepan.
• Colander.
• Mixing bowl.
• Whisk.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.