Sauces have more than one function in a recipe. A sauce can add moisture to naturally lean foods, such as fish and chicken breasts, or when using cooking techniques that tend to have a drying affect, such as grilling or broiling. A sauce can enhance a dish’s appearance by adding eye appeal. Pooling a bit of sauce beneath grilled fish or steak gives the dish an element of color. Many sauces include a garnish that adds texture to the finished dish.
It is often difficult to find a really good store-bought sauce to accent your food. In the summer when fruits, vegetables and fragrant herbs are in abundance, homemade sauces are so much better drizzled over just about anything. The homemade sauces below are perfect served with grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish, tossed with beans or pasta or drizzled over vegetables and grains. Just let your imagination run with it. These sauces come together quickly and easily and are great to keep on hand. And just a little bit goes a long way.
Fresh Pickle Relish
This relish is easy to make and is good on hot dogs, burgers and grilled sausage.
Ingredients
8 servings
- 1-2 cucumbers (1 pound), peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
- 1 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Kosher salt
Directions
Place the chopped cucumber in a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl; toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze well to remove as much moisture as possible (do not rinse).
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cook, stirring, just until they begin to pop, about 1 minute. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Mix in ginger and turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and sugar and cook until syrupy, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in cucumber; transfer to a small bowl and season with additional salt, if needed. Let cool. Cover and chill. Relish can be made 1 week ahead.
Tzatziki Sauce
A cooling, garlicky yogurt sauce that’s great with grilled meats and vegetables.
Ingredients
Makes 3 Cups
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh mint for garnish
Directions
Mix cucumber, garlic, yogurt, dill, lemon juice and oil in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Cover and let sit at room temperature until flavors meld, at least 1 hour.
Garnish with mint. Tzatziki can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.
Grilled Tomato Salsa
This salsa is especially good on grilled meats and fish.
Ingredients
Makes 2 Cups
- Grilled Tomatoes (see recipe below)
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 4 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped oil-packed anchovies
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rinsed capers
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Coarsely chop grilled tomatoes and add garlic, basil, oil, anchovies, capers and lemon zest. Break up the tomatoes to release their juices as you mix the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature until serving time.
Grilled Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes on the vine (such as Sun Gold, Black Cherry or teardrop; about 24 oz.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix tomatoes with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning occasionally, until tomatoes are charred and blistered, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Summer Herb Sauce
This sauce is delicious drizzled over grilled vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves
- 1 small clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons water, or more if necessary
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- Pinch of salt
Directions
Puree basil, parsley, marjoram, garlic and oil in a food processor or blender. With the motor running, add water and process until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, stir in capers and season with salt.
Caponata
Serve this sauce over grilled swordfish. A classic Italian dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 each Italian frying pepper and orange and yellow bell peppers
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 medium eggplant, peeled or unpeeled according to taste
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté 2 minutes or until soft. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds until aromatic. Add eggplant and, stirring often, cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in marinara sauce, cover; reduce heat and simmer, stirring twice, about 12 minutes, or until the eggplant is very tender.
Add vinegar and capers to caponata. Cover and simmer 5 minutes to develop flavors. Serve at room temperature.
Simple Fruit Sauce
Use this sauce to pour over fresh cut melon, grilled peaches, plain cake or ice cream.
8 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh fruit in season
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4-5 tablespoon sugar or honey, to taste
- Pinch of cinnamon
Directions
Puree the fruit in a blender with the lemon juice. Blend in the sugar by the tablespoonful, tasting after each addition, until the desired degree of sweetness is reached. Add cinnamon.
Strain through a fine strainer, pressing with a rubber spatula. Chill sauce until serving time.
Wendie Donabie
These all sound wonderful!!!!
Jovina Coughlin
Thank you so much Wendie.
Animalcouriers
A great selection – the pickle relish especially. Now, if it would just cool down long enough to have an appetite 😉
Jovina Coughlin
Hot is it! Makes food prep and eating not too enjoyable. There is always ice cream.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
What a great idea to grill your tomatoes before making the salsa!! I’ll definitely try that and your other sauces all sound delicious. I’m pinning them all. Grazie, Jovina.
Jovina Coughlin
Let me know how they turn our for you Marisa. Thanks so much.
For the Love of Cooking
Great sauces – bookmarked!
Jovina Coughlin
Thanks so much Pam
splendidrecipes
Great sauces. The Herb sauce is especially appealing, going to give that one a try.
Jovina Coughlin
Great Randy – let me know how you like it.
Our Growing Paynes
I’m with you, so easy to make sauces from scratch and as you’ve shown they are full of flavour!
Jovina Coughlin
Thanks Virginia. I think they are worth taking time to make, plus you know what ingredients are in the sauce.
Jittery Cook
Love the variety of sauces! I’d even like the fruit one with bits of fruit. Great idea to post a bunch of sauces.
Jovina Coughlin
Thanks Holly.
Anne
Gonna have to try the fresh pickle relish–and the cucumbers are starting to grow in the garden!
Jovina Coughlin
Perfect way to use up some of your cucumbers. So great you can grow them in your garden.
Mary Frances
The summer herb sauce looks so fresh and delicious!! Will have to try it on some veggies next time we have a barbecue!
Jovina Coughlin
It would be great with grilled veggies. Thanks Mary Frances.
Karen
All the sauces are perfect ways to enjoy summer’s bounty.
Jovina Coughlin
Thank you Karen.
Amanda | What's Cooking
I love that you have a post on sauces. That was one of the things I liked most about being in Mexico, the depth and brilliance of all of the sauces. This relish recipe looks soooo good. Tzatziki is one of my favorites and perfect for the summer. I never thought to make my own. All of these sound so good.
Jovina Coughlin
Even if you can purchase these sauce ready made, I find that making them yourself with fresh ingredients makes the sauce so much better. For example, relish is processed so much that most of the flavor is gone. Whereas, this recipe is hardly cooked so the ingredients taste crunchy and just make your hot dog, pop. These sauces come together quickly and I know you like to spend time making homemade foods.