Watercress Sauce
A fresh-tasting sauce to serve with grilled scallops, lightly poached oysters or pan-fried fillets of sea bass or bream. It is extremely light, almost like a bouillon.
Overview
A delicate, herbaceous sauce featuring peppery watercress against light vegetable stock. The bright green colour and fresh flavour profile make this sophisticated accompaniment perfect for grilled shellfish and white fish.
Ingredients
Base
- 400 grams watercress
- 100 grams butter
Liquid & aromatics
- 500 ml Vegetable stock
- 15 grams soft green peppercorns
- salt
- pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Prepare watercress
- Cut off and discard the thicker watercress stalks, retaining only the most slender stems.
Stage 2 - Sweat watercress
- Melt 30 grams of the butter in a saucepan.
- Add the watercress and sweat over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring continuously with a spatula.
Stage 3 - Cook & infuse
- Add the vegetable stock and green peppercorns, increase the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the sauce to infuse for 10 minutes, then purée using a blender for 2 minutes.
Stage 4 - Finish
- Pass the sauce through a fine-meshed conical sieve into a clean saucepan, rubbing it through with the back of a ladle.
- Reheat until gently bubbling, then take the pan off the heat and whisk in the remaining butter, a knob at a time.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
- Watercress stems: Use only tender stem tips; thick, woody stalks are bitter and fibrous.
- Green peppercorns: These soft, pickled peppercorns add gentle spice; use genuine ones from acid-packed jars, not freeze-dried.
- Infusion time: Allow the sauce to infuse with heat off for best flavour extraction.
Serving
Serve immediately with grilled scallops, lightly poached oysters, pan-fried sea bass, bream, or other white fish. Also excellent with shellfish dishes.
Storage
- Best eaten immediately after preparation.
- Keeps refrigerated for 1 day; reheat gently, stirring constantly.
- Does not freeze well due to butter content and watercress texture breakdown.
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