We tell you how to choose a sauce for chicken, beef and lamb – and also what sauces go with any type of meat.
We are accustomed to standard combinations of sauces and meat – beef with barbecue sauce, steak with lingonberry sauce, chicken with cream-based sauce. But what about other options? We have selected 10 types of sauces for different meats that your guests will definitely like.
The best sauces for beef
Heavy beef meat is well refreshed with fruit sauces: cherry sauce for grilled meat, peach sauce, raspberry sauce with salsa. For those who like it spicy – chimichurri sauce and cherry sauce.
- If you want to make the sauce quickly, try a mixture of balsamic sauce and red wine. Add everything to the pan with the meat, bring to a boil and serve. You will get a balanced sweet and sour taste.
The best sauces for chicken
The taste of tender meat should be emphasized with less harsh and heavy sauces. Citrus-based sauces are suitable for chicken – for example, a combination of lemon juice, salt and herbs will soften the chicken in the oven. Quince sauces, black pepper sauces, caper sauces and saffron sauce are also suitable. If you’re making grilled chicken, pair it with Buffalo sauce. But ketchup and barbecue sauce will be less organic with chicken.
- The most common (and delicious) combinations for chicken are Asian sauces, citrus sauces and honey. They better reveal the taste of chicken and have a light consistency.
The best sauces for pork
Pork has a slightly sweet flavor and therefore goes well with fruit sauces. Try the combination of pork chops with apple-based sauce – they perfectly bring out the taste of the meat and make it juicier. Also suitable for pork are sauces based on honey and Dijon mustard – this is the best way to create a balance of sweet and spicy.
The best sauces for fish
For seafood cocktails such as shrimp, clams, oysters and crab, use a mixture of horseradish, lemon and tomato. If we are talking about crabs separately, then their tender meat is combined with tartar sauce made from pickles, dill and mayonnaise (or sour cream). This sauce is good with any fish – trout, pollock, and the British dish fish and chips.
- Unconventional combinations with seafood – fruity ones. It is worth trying white fish with lemon, peach or raspberry sauce. And with red fish, serve any lemon or lime based sauce.
Teriyaki sauce is also suitable for white fish and shrimp – fry the seafood with sauce and vegetables in a frying pan and serve with rice.
The best sauces for lamb
British, Irish and Turkish cuisine are based on lamb meat – from there the combination of lamb with any mint-based sauce came to us. Its sweet taste makes the lamb juicier and less heavy.
The best sauces for venison
Venison has a rather strong and unusual taste – so it is usually balanced with sweet combinations. For example, venison is good with sauces based on figs, blueberries and oranges.
There are also sauces that are suitable for all types of meat. Thanks to the light and balanced taste of sweet, sour and tart, they reveal the taste of meat and make it richer. So this is:
No. 1 – Quince sauce
For homemade sauce, mix quince, ginger, fresh chili pepper, grape vinegar, sugar and salt. First, the sauce reveals its spiciness, and then gradually turns to a sweet taste.
No. 2 – Cherry sauce
For the sauce you will need cherries, red wine or cognac, parsley, starch, water, salt, sugar and pepper. The result will be a thick sauce with a tart-sweet taste.
No. 3 – Fig sauce
It is a mixture of garlic, figs, vinegar, ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. The result is a sweet and slightly sour sauce with a thick consistency.
No. 4 – Orange sauce
There are many variations of orange sauce. One of the common ones is a combination of zest, orange juice, starch and honey.
No. 5 – Apricot sauce
Typically, apricot sauces are prepared with sweet fruits or vegetables – bell pepper or red apple. Seasonings include ground black pepper, sugar, ginger, curry and a little salt. When cooking, leave the apricot pieces to add a sweeter sauce.
No. 6 – Sauce with wild berries
For example, a combination of lingonberries, cranberries and blueberries with sugar and starch is suitable for grilled meat – beef, venison, lamb and chicken steaks.
