Sauce Gribiche
Gribiche sauce is a cold sauce that resembles tangy mayonnaise with capers and gherkins. It’s a classic French sauce that I love to make, especially in the spring with white asparagus. You’ll see, it’s super easy to make and perfect for serving with steamed vegetables, cold fish, or even a good old-fashioned pot-au-feu.
Gribiche sauce is simply a sauce made from hard-boiled egg yolks, whipped like mayonnaise, with a little Dijon mustard and oil. Then, you add pieces of gherkins, capers, and, most importantly, fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil, depending on what you have on hand).
It has a strong, slightly tart flavor and pairs well with meat like roasted chicken, cold fish, or vegetables. In France, we usually serve it with white asparagus in spring!
3 Tips for Making the Perfect Gribiche Sauce
Before you read the recipe, I have three quick tips to help you make your gribiche sauce perfectly the first time!
- Hard-boiled eggs: Use hard-boiled eggs that are cooked but not overcooked; the yolk should be just firm, not too dry.
- Add the oil little by little: Add it very slowly, in a thin stream, so the sauce thickens like mayonnaise.
- Chop finely: Chop the gherkins and capers fairly finely, and do the same with the herbs; this adds a bit of texture and helps the flavors blend better.
Recipe Card
Gribiche Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp capers chopped
- 4 gherkins cornichons in French, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh herbs parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the eggs in a saucepan of boiling water for 9 minutes. Immediately plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Peel the eggs and cut them in half. Remove the yolks and place them in a small mixing bowl. Roughly chop the egg whites and set aside.
- Add the mustard to the egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Mash everything well to form a paste, then slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously to create a mayonnaise.
- Add the chopped egg whites, capers, finely chopped pickles, and the chopped chives and parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients for Gribiche Sauce
To make gribiche sauce, you don’t need much:
- Eggs: Hard-boiled egg yolks form the base of the sauce.
- Mustard: To create an emulsion and add flavor to the sauce.
- Sunflower oil: I like it because it has a neutral flavor, but you can try using canola oil or replacing some of it with olive oil (using 100% olive oil might make it a little bitter).
- Capers & gherkins: Make sure to cut the gherkins (aka cornichons in French) and capers into very small cubes.
- Fresh herbs: As a base, I always use parsley and chives, and when they’re in season, I add a little tarragon and sometimes chervil.
Note: You can also add a finely chopped shallot!
Healthy version: For a lighter version, add a little skyr or Greek yogurt to the mayonnaise and increase the amount of herbs, pickles, and capers!
How to Serve Gribiche Sauce
In France, we serve it traditionally with:
- Vegetables – with steamed potatoes, white asparagus in spring or steamed leeks in winter.
- Fish – especially with cold white fish.
- Meat – it’s a classic alongside pot-au-feu (a slow-simmered beef and vegetable stew) or tête de veau (poached veal head — a real French classic, though I’ve never tried it myself!).
However, you can serve it in many other ways. It’s just as good with :
- spooned over grilled or poached salmon instead of tartar sauce,
- stirred into shredded chicken or canned tuna for a quick salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make a good gribiche sauce, it’s important to whip the mayonnaise: pour the oil in a thin stream, very slowly, while whisking vigorously. If you go too fast, the sauce might not thicken. It’s better to take it slow and take your time!
Ravigote sauce, unlike gribiche sauce, is not made like mayonnaise: it contains no eggs, just oil, vinegar, fresh herbs, and the same condiments as gribiche, such as gherkins and capers. It has a brighter, tangier flavor.
Always cold! Serve with warm or cold dishes.
No, gribiche sauce cannot be frozen. As with mayonnaise, the texture separates and becomes impossible to make up for.
Brilliant thank you
Very well explained and great helpful photos
Thank you so much Marilyn!
Yummy!
Thank you!