Sauce Gribiche

Photo by Michael Piazza

That sauce gribiche contains pickles, capers, herbs and egg—and that the flavor is slightly piquant—is universally agreed, but the consistency is a matter of debate. There’s the “chunky mayonnaise” camp—think rémoulade or tartar sauce, and there’s the looser, more vinaigrette-style camp.

I prefer the former, so that’s what I’ve made here, paring down the herb selection to parsley alone, going heavy on the hard-cooked roughly chopped egg for a more chunky texture. Likewise, I simplify matters by using store-bought mayo.

If you’re motivated to make your own mayonnaise, a great recipe to refer to is Two-Minute Mayonnaise, using an immersion blender and a Mason jar, from J. Kenji López-Alt on the Serious Eats website. Instead of using all vegetable oil, though, substitute ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil for some of it and you’ll have a beautiful, and easy, aïoli-style mayonnaise. (Or use our recipe for Olive Oil Mayonnaise from the Summer 2016 issue.)

Gribiche is a terrific chunky dip for blasted broccoli, and like tartar sauce it also goes well with poached shrimp, fried fish and roasted potatoes, and works beautifully as a potato salad dressing.

Makes about 1¼ cups

½ cup mayonnaise (good-quality store-bought or homemade, see note for recipes)
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon cider vinegar
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons minced shallots (about ½ medium)
2 tablespoons chopped cornichons (about 4 whole, depending on size)
2 tablespoons capers, drained, dried with paper towels and chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
¼ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large eggs, hard-cooked, peeled and roughly chopped (about ½ cup)

Whisk all the ingredients except the eggs in a medium bowl until well-blended; rest for at least 15 minutes for flavors to meld. Add the eggs and stir to distribute (try to leave the pieces of egg white intact). Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary, and serve with Blasted Broccoli.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2019 issue as part of a larger story, Unabashed Broccoli Boosterism.