Sauce Vierge (French salsa)
Ingredients
 | 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes |
 | 1 tablespoon of olive oil |
 | 1/4 lemon, squeezed for juice |
 | 1 red onion |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
 | 2-3 leaves of chopped fresh parsley |
 | pinch of garlic powder or flakes |
 | (Optional) 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar |
 | Salt and pepper |
How to make sauce vierge
- Open the can of whole peeled tomatoes and pour them into a large bowl.
- Chop the tomatoes into small chunks using a fork and a sharp knife, keeping some texture (this isn’t baby food).
- Dice the onion and chop the parsley, then add both to the tomatoes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly until everything is well combined.
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld and deepen.
- Serve chilled. Fresh, bright, and ready to spoon over just about anything.
This easy Vierge sauce recipe is a delicious and simple French sauce that is usually served with fish or seafood in France. That being said, it is such a light and airy sauce that is so much like a salsa, it can be served with a lot of other dishes as well.
Sauce vierge, which is French for “virgin sauce”, is meant to evoke a sense of freshness and summer. The basic tomato sauce is one of the five mother sauces of classical French cooking. Sauce tomate is one of the most popular sauces around, along with tomate provençale sauce that originates from the south of France.
Unlike those other sauces however, the sauce vierge doesn’t involve any cooking. It is a tasty mix of chopped tomatoes, aromatics and herbs, usually with a bit of vinegar and lemon juice added. And best of all, it can be prepared in just 5 minutes.
Sauce vierge (French salsa)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 1/4 lemon, squeezed for juice
- 2-3 leaves of chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- pinch of garlic powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Open the can of whole peeled tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Using a fork and a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes into small chunks.
- Chop the onion and parsley and add to the chopped tomato mixture.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in.
- Place in the fridge for around 30 minutes.
- Serve while cool.
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What to serve with sauce vierge?
In Mediterranean and French cuisine, sauce vierge is generally served with shellfish or fish.
It is also good as an accompaniment to a salad or white meat such as chicken. You can also serve it as an appetizer as chips and salsa.
What drinks to serve with it?
If you are serving fish or chicken, sauce vierge will go well with a pinot gris from Alsace or a white Sancerre from the Loire Valley. You can read more about French wines here.
Can you freeze it?
Sauce vierge can easily be kept in the fridge or freezer. Drain some of the excess liquid from the sauce and put it in an airtight glass jars or plastic containers designed for freezing. (The container will have a snowflake which signifies that it can be frozen.)
The entire jar must be thawed out when using, and cannot be refrozen, so keep each portion of the sauce small.
Read more: