This Creole sauce is turning out to be one of the most controversial recipes I’ve shared to date. After posting the recipe video on the Cooking Channel, there’s been a lot of comments about it not being authentic. Here’s the thing about cooking and recipes, it’s usually how you’ve learned to make the dish or how you like it. So when you see me add an ingredient like tomato paste to the sauce, rest assured that’s the way I like it. I use the traditional way (in most cases) of doing a dish as the base and try to add my own little touch. That said, there are some recipes where I will not alter the traditional format of preparing it as I don’t want to disrespect centuries of tradition.
You’ll Need…
1 medium Onion
3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 large tomato
1.5 cups chicken stock
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 scallion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley.
2 tablespoon olive oil
Start off by chopping/dicing the scallions, green pepper, onion, tomato, garlic (finely), celery, parsley and scotch bonnet pepper. Then heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the diced celery, onion and green pepper. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 8-10 minutes.
Everything will be soft and tender now and you’ll have a wonderful base for this delicious creole sauce. Turn up the heat to med/high and add all the other ingredients, except the chopped parsley.
Stir well, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so you have a gentle simmer going. Cook for about 25 minutes, with the lid ajar on the sauce pan.
Now remove the lid and let it cook on medium heat to thicken up a bit. Remember to fish out the bay leaf and if you did as I did.. remove the thyme stems and discard. It should only take a few minutes to thicken up. Finish off with the chopped parsley.
This creole sauce is excellent on fish (fried, baked, poached, grilled) and other grilled meats. You can certainly make this in advance and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for at least a week. Just heat and serve when you’re ready to add a classic French Caribbean flavor to your dishes.
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It’s interesting how “side-line” bloggers are quick to criticize your style of blogging, but they don’t seem to have the courage to do it themselves. Chris your style is authentic to you and your followers who are looking to bring a taste of the Caribbean to their tables where ever they may be on this planet! Keep up the good work, your passion is beyond limitless boundaries.
I don’t search out recipes online to “respect centuries of tradition”. I look for recipes that I believe my family and friends might enjoy.
It appears you have some readers who are overly ready to pounce on you for posting recipes that fail to be 100% traditionally “PURE” (whatever THAT might mean) or for “cultural appropriation” (whatever THAT might mean).
Just continue to offer your tempting recipes complete with any ways you wish to “alter” them, “personalize” them, “tweek” them, in any way that some others may find “controversial”, without feeling any need whatsoever to apologize for them or to “explain” yourself at all.
Simply be unapologetic for the recipes you post. Don’t let yourself be influenced by petty people who demand that you run your blog their way.
I made this sauce tonight for dinner. The only thing I changed about it was that I added cilantro as well. We ate it over fried fish and white rice. It was delicious and I will definitely be cooking this for future dishes!
I have made this twice now when cooking for family and friends and both times it has been a show stopper. So simple to make yet super delicious.
You guys really like the heat! This looks tasty and I hope to try it soon.
I make this nearly every week, love it !
Never mind the negative comments. You’re doing it right! People can complain all they want about “authenticity”, but what matters in the end is how the food tastes. And your food tastes GOOD.
Can I put this sauce over white rice ? And eat it with chicken
Very similar to New Orleans version
this is pretty authentic i'm haitian and tomato paste is a staple for all of our creole sauces. We never use Worcestershire sauce or chicken stock though.
you should try to do more haitian dishes our cuisine is very unique from the rest of the other islands and is extremley good
This is a wonderful sauce for fish and also I like to add a little white wine and some cream to it, then put it in the blender and make a smoothe cream. Very nice with shrimps and other sea foods.
This looks fantastic. I can't wait to try it!
At last!!!!! Thank you for this recipe Chris. I have always loved this sauce, but didn't know how to prepare it. Love yr recipeees.
Do you have the recipe for greio it's a dish from Hati but i like the Matniquean version can u Trinidadian version