Make This Simple Sauce The Next Time You Cook A Whole Fish

A whole, cooked fish is a delicious centerpiece to any meal no matter how it's prepared. But once it's time to dig in, why not add a little extra color and flavor with a special sauce? To determine the best sauce to serve with a whole fish, we spoke with Chef Laurent Tourondel, executive chef of L'Amico in New York.

"I believe a good sauce on the side can significantly enhance the flavor of whole roasted or grilled fish," Tourondel tells us. "One of my favorite accompaniments is a version of tomato concasse." This simple, easy-to-make sauce consists of peeled and deseeded tomatoes seasoned with bright ingredients that complement the fish's soft texture and the savory flavors of its roasted or charred skin. It's like a French pico de gallo as it leans heavily on tomatoes and other acidic ingredients, but it has a few twists that make it perfect for fish.

"I prepare it with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, diced shallots, diced tomatoes, and basil, which pairs wonderfully with a delicate white fish," says Tourondel. "The combination is light, fresh, and highlights the natural flavors of the fish without overpowering them." While sauce tomat, or tomato sauce, is one of the French mother sauces, a concasse's texture is more similar to the topping for bruschetta than a creamy choron. However, if a creamy sauce is what you're looking for, Chef Tourondel has another suggestion that's sure to delight your taste buds.

A light sauce of vegetables and acid is fantastic for the delicate meat of fish, but a creamy sauce, rich in dairy and fat, is just as good in its own right. While a tomato concasse harmonizes with the light flavors of seafood, Tourondel's creamier suggestion is a delicious dichotomy that works just as well.

"Another favorite is a sauce made with soft-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, curry, and lime," Tourondel explains. Curry adds the right amount of spice to deviled eggs, so why not add it to a sauce that's essentially a play on deviled eggs? Add in a bit of lime and you get a sauce that's one part heavy, creamy decadence and one part sharp, spiced flavor. The best part is that this sauce practically melts in your mouth alongside the tender flesh of cooked fish, complementing it in texture rather than flavor like a concasse.

The addition of egg yolks adds tons of umami to the sauce, making it a hearty accompaniment to a light protein. If you want even more, cure your egg yolks in soy sauce, adding a bit of extra salt to the dish as well. Combined with extra crispy fish skin, every bite you take will be an explosion of textures, tastes, and smells that make your whole fish dinner a hit with every dinner guest.