Description
Everything you need to know about making a simple delicious pan sauce! Whether it’s for steak, chicken, fish or mushrooms, you’ll love our easy basic method. Vegan- adaptable.
Ingredients
Units
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely diced (3–4 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup liquid (broth, white wine or water, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional herbs: thyme, Italian parsley, sage, rosemary
Instructions
- Heat a skillet (preferably the same skillet you used to sear the meat or veggies.) Fee free to remove excess fat- but don’t wipe out the skillet- you want those browned bits (called fond).
- Add aromatics. Add the shallots and just enough olive oil to saute them. Saute over medium heat, stirring often, until golden. Toss in herbs if using.
- Deglaze. Add the liquid, and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce by half.
- Add the fat. Whisk in the butter, lowering heat to low. Once incorporated, turn off the heat.
- Season. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If you used water, a couple of drops of soy sauce will add delicious depth. If you want some acidity, add 1-2 drops of vinegar or lemon juice.
Notes
- Use a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom stainless steel skillet for the best results.
- You can make a pan sauce simply by adding water to the pan and whisking in butter. Shallot adds beautiful complexity and sweetness.
- When using wine, I prefer to cook it mostly off first, then add stock or broth, reduce by half, before whisking in butter.
- If your pan sauce breaks or over reduces, whisk in a little water, while heating it.
- To make vegan pan sauce, use veggie broth or water and whisk in vegan butter. Or thicken with flour, by making a roux (use extra olive oil), however, this is more like a gravy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ tablespoons
- Calories: 57
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 6.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.4 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 7.6 mg