The Simple Sauce Bobby Flay Loves To Use For Fish

Bobby Flay may be a pretty cocky guy — it's kind of hard to stand out in the overcrowded field of celebrity chefs these days without massive amounts of self-confidence — but he's not afraid to give credit where credit is due. One of his favorite tricks for cooking fish, he says, comes from California cuisine pioneer Jonathan Waxman. As Flay learned when working with Waxman back in the '80s, the secret to flavorful fish lies in the sauce.

The fish sauce favored by both Waxman and Flay is vinaigrette, which is a fancy way of saying oil and vinegar dressing. As the dictionary defines it, a vinaigrette is any sauce made of oil, vinegar, and seasonings. While some vinaigrette recipes may call for added ingredients such as Dijon mustard, honey, or shallots, you can make a very basic one out of nothing more than vinegar, oil, and salt.

So, why vinaigrette with fish? The dressing helps to keep the fish moist, while the vinegar component supplies some tang that offsets any oiliness or fishy flavors in much the same way as fish's traditional partner, lemon. For best results, Flay advises pouring the vinaigrette over while the fish is warm, as the heat helps to bring out the flavors of the dressing.

Vinaigrette may be best known as a salad dressing, but the idea of using it with fish isn't unique to Bobby Flay and Jonathan Waxman. The sauce is often used to accompany fish and cold meats as well as salads. 

Depending on the dish, you can vary the ingredients in your vinaigrette to suit. For a spicy-sweet dressing suitable for fish, meat, or vegetables, try a honey vinaigrette flavored with chipotles (recipe courtesy of Chipotle with a capital "c"). Chicago-style Dijon giardiniera vinaigrette would make for a slightly chunky sauce, while Nora Ephron's Grey Poupon vinaigrette keeps things smooth and simple.

You could even serve your Thanksgiving turkey with a vinaigrette. If you blend cranberry juice or dried or fresh cranberries into a standard red wine or balsamic vinaigrette, you'll have a more refreshing alternative to both sugary cranberry sauce and starchy gravy. In fact, if you're really feeling like tossing tradition out the window, you could swap out the turkey entirely, opting instead for a cranberry vinaigrette-dressed Thanksgiving salmon.