Skip to content
FriendsPantry

French

Sauce gribiche

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A mayonnaise-like emulsion made from hard-boiled egg yolks rather than raw ones, folded with chopped egg white, cornichons, capers and fresh herbs. It is chunky, tangy and fresh.

Sauce gribiche is a French sauce from France, ready in about 37 minutes and made with egg, prepared mustard and wine vinegar. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
15 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
10 min
Total
37 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
182

Ingredients

8 servings (about 35 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Lower the eggs (opens in a new tab) into boiling water and cook at a steady boil for 10 minutes, then move them to iced water for 10 minutes so the yolks set firm without a grey ring. Peel.

  2. Step 2

    Halve the eggs (opens in a new tab) and separate yolks from whites. Finely chop the whites. Chop the cornichons, capers (opens in a new tab) and herbs.

    Fresh herbs being chopped
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Push the yolks through a sieve into a bowl, or mash with a fork to a completely smooth paste. Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the mustard, half the vinegar and the salt.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the oil a little at a time, as for mayonnaise, until you have a thick, creamy emulsion. Cooked yolks emulsify less reliably than raw ones, so go slowly. If it looks grainy, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Fold in the chopped whites, cornichons, capers (opens in a new tab), herbs, the rest of the vinegar and pepper (opens in a new tab). Taste: it should be sharp, herby and coarse-textured. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

About this dish

Origin
France · Well documentedA classic of the French bistro and cold-sauce repertoire, recorded by Escoffier. The origin of the name is unknown.Also popular in BelgiumMore food from France
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Boiled, Whipped
Taste
tangy, herby, creamy, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Cook more with
Egg · Prepared mustard · Wine vinegar · Dill pickles · Capers · Parsley
Techniques
Boiling · Knife skills · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Mustardfrom prepared mustard, dill pickles
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard, wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

182 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 36 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 1%
  • Fat 93%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy182 kcal502 kcal
Protein2.5 g7 g
Carbohydrate0.5 g1.4 g
Net carbohydrate0.3 g0.9 g
Sugars0.1 g0.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.2 g0.6 g
Fat19.1 g52.7 g
Saturated fat1.9 g5.2 g
Trans fat0.1 g0.2 g
Cholesterol——
Sodium212 mg586 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g1.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
42 mg
Calcium
17 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
5 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
36 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Tarragon (fresh): USDA SR Legacy has only dried tarragon; fresh basil is used as a nutritionally similar fresh-herb stand-in.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Some cooks make it as a loose vinaigrette, chopping the whole egg into the dressing. That is equally traditional in home kitchens and never splits.

Common mistakes

  • Overcooking the eggs: green-grey yolks taste sulphurous.
  • Adding the oil too fast to the cooked yolks, which gives a greasy, broken sauce.

Serve with

  • Tête de veau and cold boiled meats.
  • Asparagus, leeks vinaigrette and new potatoes.
  • Cold poached fish or fried fish.

Food safety

  • Contains cooked egg kept cold; refrigerate promptly and do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days.

Variations

  • Vinaigrette gribiche (France): The whole eggs chopped into a mustardy vinaigrette with the herbs and capers, without emulsifying.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Egg, large, hard-boiled for 10 minutes and peeled3 piece · 150 g
  • Dill pickles, cornichons, finely chopped30 g
  • Capers, drained, rinsed and chopped15 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like