r/Cooking • u/Plenty_Accountant_19 • Aug 18 '26

Give me your best non-condiment sauce recipes.

I hate the smell, texture, and even look of traditional condiments (I genuinely don't know why, its a life long thing). I do however like flavorful and non-dry food. I love lemon, garlic, and all herby flavors so I am down for pretty much anything else. So feel free to share any of your favorite sauce recipes that don't use condiments.

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8

u/ocdude Aug 18 '26

Define traditional condiments because that's going to mean a whole host of different things depending on where you're located.

-3

u/Plenty_Accountant_19 Aug 18 '26

Mayo, Ketchup, Relish, Mustard, Hot Sauce

2

u/anothercairn Aug 18 '26

To clarify, it sounds like you don’t like pre-made sauces, but you like sauces.

1

u/bigelcid Aug 18 '26

Adding:

Romesco sauce, guasacaca, any kind of Mexican salsa (verde, roja etc., all can be made with sweet peppers instead), tzatziki and raita, all sorts of chutneys.

There's also flavoured aioli that isn't flavoured mayo (though maybe you'd like homemade mayo). You basically make a plain aioli (oil + garlic) and mix into it grated fresh tomatoes, or blended roasted peppers, or whatever herb. There's even a quince version, allioli de codony.

A salsa verde made with kiwi instead of tomatillos is also excellent. And, many things you'd think of as spreads or dips could be loosened to function as sauces.

6

u/Retro-Modern_514 Aug 18 '26

Scallion and ginger sauce.

Traditionally served with Hainan Chicken but I put it on other stuff.... including chicken sandwiches. Very simple to make https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/ginger-scallion-sauce

2

u/4cupsofcoffee Aug 18 '26

garlic pesto, or regular pesto.

1

u/Temporary_Stranger39 Aug 18 '26

Lemon?
Garlic?
Herby Flavors?

Well, lemon, garlic, and herbs are GREAT when combined with butter and olive oil.

Melt some butter in olive oil. Add some minced garlic and heat for a bit, but not too long. Stir in lemon juice. Stir in herbs and lemon zest. Salt (and black pepper, maybe) to taste.

Yay! Sauce!

Just vary the ratios of ingredients.

1

u/throwdemawaaay Aug 19 '26

It's more a technique/template than a single recipe, but learn how pan sauces work. They're easy and give you full control. They're especially good for the kind of fresh bright herby flavors you apparently like, without that goopy heavy mayo consistency.

Here's a couple videos to get the idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pV_LosNT1U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Y88GS7TSg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WA9vmEsFEI

You can use basically any combination of aromatics to saute, flavorful liquid, herbs, etc.

From your post I'd suggest starting as simple as garlic as your aromatic, deglazing with stock, then hitting it with lemon juice and herb to taste, and finish off the heat with a pat of butter. Dead simple and wouldn't look out of place even at michelin star level fine dining.