Sauce Up Your Seafood

I love March because it’s National Sauce Month. In fact, I love it so much that I wrote an entire book about how to Get Saucy!

Sauces can seem superfluous, like an afterthought, when putting together a meal. But a quick compound butter, a savory pan sauce, or an herb salsa can turn a simple piece of fish into something spectacular with very little effort. All you need are a few essential ingredients—butter, white wine (not cooking wine, thank you!), fresh herbs, fruity olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and garlic or shallot—and you can create a countless number of sauces.

Recently, two Sitka Seafood Market members asked me to try their products: butter and wine, two of my essential sauce ingredients. When I learned that their companies’ visions and values mirrored ours—organic, clean-to-market, small-batch producers, farmer-owned, low environmental impact on harvesting, and exceptional quality—the answer was, “yes, please!”

Birgit Huffman, owner of Fond O’Foods, imports butter from Germany. Exceptionally delicious, this European-style butter has 82% butterfat and makes exquisite compound butters. Add some minced shallot, chopped fresh thyme, and crunchy sea salt to the butter and melt it over grilled halibut or salmon—heavenly!

Pia Sairanen, senior director of Scout & Cellar, says, “Life’s too short to drink dirty wine.” Their wines, she adds, go through rigorous testing to guarantee that they’re free of synthetic pesticides or chemical additives. And Scout & Cellar works with small farmers who uphold the highest standards to leave the planet a better place. After searing a piece of sablefish, deglaze the skillet with a splash of dry white wine, swirl in a knob of butter, fold in some chopped fresh dill, then spoon over the fish—divine!

You have 31 days to make some great sauces, and I hope you do! If you get stuck, take a look at our recipe section for inspiration. And do try Birgit’s butter and Pia’s wines.