Many people justifiably consider the sauce known as americaine to be one of the greatest creations of the French kitchen. No one is certain who created the sauce or how it came by its name. It is generally agreed that it does not mean ”in the American style” and that it was not created in the United States.
It is believed to have originated in Provence; it certainly has all the taste distinctions of that region, with its use of tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Some people insist that it should be called armoricaine, which would mean in the style of Brittany in France, but this suggestion generally is ignored by gastronomic historians.
If home cooks prepare the sauce in its original manner with lobsters, it is intricate and difficult to make, requiring a lot of pushing and scraping to extract as much flavor as possible from the carcass of the lobster once it is cooked.
Recently, however, I decided in the interest of time to ignore the lobster and to simplify greatly the recipe by using fresh sea scallops with their delicate sweet flavor.
I used crushed canned tomatoes, a small amount of bottled clam juice instead of the customary fish broth, and tarragon–one of the essential flavors in the sauce–fresh from my garden. At the last, I stirred in a little butter to give the sauce a more silken texture.
The result was a delightful sauce that was almost as easy to make as a basic tomato sauce and whose preparation took less than half an hour.
This dish works quite nicely with plain cooked rice. But I took advantage of the season and made mine a platter of rice mixed with freshly shelled peas. SCALLOPS AMERICAINE
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan and add the shallots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the wine and 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (1 teaspoon dried) and heat to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half.
3. Add clam juice, tomatoes, cayenne, salt and pepper. Heat to a boil and let simmer 5 minutes.
4. Line a saucepan with a sieve and pour the sauce into it. Stir to extract as much liquid as possible from the pulp and herbs. Discard the solids. There should be about 2 cups of sauce.
5. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the scallops. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute and add the cognac. Cook about 30 seconds and add the tomato sauce. Stir to blend and bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining tarragon and tablespoon of butter. Serve.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
2. Add rice, water, bay leaf and salt; heat to a boil. Cover closely and cook exactly 17 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, if fresh peas are used, drop them into boiling salted water and cook 1 minute or less until tender. Do not overcook. Drain.
4. Heat remaining tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add fresh or frozen peas. Cook, briefly, stirring gently. Stir the peas into the rice and serve.
He created Sauce Américaine at this point and it became know with this name because of Chef Pierre’s experience and influence working in the United States. In the past it was thought that the correct name for this sauce is Sauce Armoricaine, to imply that it was from Brittany in France whose Roman name was Armorica.
Many people justifiably consider the sauce known as americaine to be one of the greatest creations of the French kitchen. No one is certain who created the sauce or how it came by its name. It is generally agreed that it does not mean ”in the American style” and that it was not created in the United States.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan and add the shallots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the wine and 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (1 teaspoon dried) and heat to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half.
4. Heat remaining tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add fresh or frozen peas. Cook, briefly, stirring gently. Stir the peas into the rice and serve.
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan and add onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
The result was a delightful sauce that was almost as easy to make as a basic tomato sauce and whose preparation took less than half an hour.
Its a true classic that nowadays accompanies fish prepared in a wide variety of ways and is, of course, essential in the preparation of Homard a lAméricaine, the sauces original assignment. However, I have, and I apologise to the classicists for this, taken inspiration from a recipe in “Ripailles” by Stéphane Reynaud and come up with a heavily simplified method of preparing this sauce, with every effort spent on preserving the influence of all the key flavours but rendering it very achievable in a domestic kitchen in a short period of time. A truly refined method can be found in Michel Rouxs “Sauces: Savoury & Sweet” or in “Gordon Ramsays Passion for Seafood”.
There has clearly been a long-standing debate as to whether the correct name for this sauce is “Armoricaine” or “Américaine” but according to “Larousse Gastronomique” it is now widely accepted that the former is a corruption of the latter. The justification for the name “Armoricaine” is that, and this part is non-debatable, Brittany, whose Roman name was “Armorica” (Asterix fans would know that!), has claimed the regional origin for the lobster dish for which this sauce was designed (even though that took place in Paris!). One counterargument to this is that tomatoes, upon which the sauce is heavily reliant, are not associated with such a northern part of France. A more persuasive counterargument is that Pierre Fraisse (“Peters”), originally from Sète in the south of France and the recognised inventer of this now classic sauce, had been working as a chef in Chicago until his return to France in around 1860 to open the restaurant in Paris in which he first created this sauce. As a side note, it is interesting to observe that in her article “Fine Bouche“, Elizabeth David makes mention of the term “à lAméricaine”, and that article was published in the Sunday Times in 1956.
“This is the ultimate lobster sauce, which never fails to lift the simplest grilled or poached fish to ethereal heights.”
Shells, as a waste product from the process of filling the tubs of picked lobster meat that are available on the market stall, are sometimes brought to the market as a free offering to customers. These are a superb resource for making stock for this sauce.
As mentioned above you can use this sauce to accompany fish as well as lobster and, as a suggestion, perhaps try a grilled gurnard or, at this time of year, a sea bass fillet on crushed Jersey Royals and watercress and served with Sauce Américaine?
Sauce Americaine: The Mother Of All Seafood Sauces ( made with crabs)
FAQ
What is the meaning of sauce Americaine?
What is American sauce in Belgium?
What is American sauce in Europe?
What is the origin of the word sauce?
Where did Sauce Américaine come from?
The name “Sauce Américaine” may leave you wondering about its origins. This sauce is believed to have been created by French chefs who were inspired by the flavors of American cuisine. It combines the richness of French cooking techniques with the bold flavors commonly found in American dishes.
Are tomato sauce and puree the same?
Despite tomato sauce and puree being made by tomatoes, they are not the same product. It occurs due to tomato sauce content, which is made by tomato, spices, olive oil and salt. On the other hand, tomato puree is made only from cooked tomatoes, without any seasoning.
What is American sauce?
Sauce américaine ( pronounced [sos ameʁikɛn]; French for ‘American sauce’) is a recipe from classic French cookery containing chopped onions, tomatoes, white wine, brandy, salt, cayenne pepper, butter and fish stock.
Why is McDonalds sauce called McDonald’s sauce?
It is possible that the sauce was originally created by McDonald’s for Dutch markets and therefore owes its name to the company’s association with American cuisine. KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?