Proteins may be the heart of many dishes, but sauces are what bring them to life. Whether you’re using meat, poultry or fish, there are countless pairings that have evolved from the ‘mother’ red, brown, white and Hollandaise sauces, and many more that continue to be created to this day.
Complementing the base of the sauce with the core ingredient is important. With that sorted, you can really work on layering up the flavour to create a unique sauce for your dish.
Try these protein/sauce pairings
Red Meat
Popular sauce pairing: full-flavoured dark sauces
Brown
Gravies, Demi-glace, Jus
Red
Creole, Spanish, Italian sauces
White
Velouté, Bercy, Allemande, Béchamel, Soubise
Hollandaise
Béarnaise, Mousseline
Chef David El Bitar’s tip:
Hollandaise and lamb aren’t an obvious pairing. But with some fresh chopped mint in the Hollandaise, they’re a delicious combination.
Poultry
Popular sauce pairing: light creamy sauces with mushrooms
Brown
Espagnole, Chasseur/Hunter’s, Gravy
Red
Puttanesca, Milanaise
Chef David's tip:
Give tomato sauce a sweet citrusy makeover with a squeeze of orange juice.
White
Aurora, Suprême
Hollandaise
Maltaise, Grimrod
Fish
Popular sauce pairing: butter herb sauces
Brown
Sauce Espagnole Maigre
Chef David’s tip:
This sauce is made with fish stock and mushrooms instead of brown stock and meat, allowing for a bit of cream and herbs to be added at the end.
Red
Spanish, Neapolitan
White
Mornay, Nantua, Normandy
Hollandaise
Mousseline, Choron
