The legendary Parisian steakhouse, Le Relais de l’Entrecôte, is genuinely one of the best places to get steak frites in Paris. Their secret herby, buttery ‘entrecôte sauce’ is incredible and worth the hour long queue to get a seat. I live in Paris and I eat at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte a lot and it made me want to crack a recipe to get the same sauce at home.
A few recipes exist in French and I’ve seen quite a few attempts on social media but in my opinion, the end result is more of a Béarnaise than than the real sauce. The real version should have a slightly split, grainy quality yet still be pourable.
Getting the right consistency is a bit tricky but doable with the right technique. My recipe achieves the iconic taste and the thick, buttery, pourable texture of the real deal. Ready to bring the Parisian steak restaurant experience into your kitchen? Let’s go!
What is the Secret Sauce from Le Relais de l’Entrecôte?
So you’ve no doubt eaten at one of Paris’ famous most steak house and are wondering what exactly is their herby steak sauce. The recipe is secret and has a long and interesting history (of which you can learn more on that below) so we don’t really know what’s exactly in it.
However it’s safe to say that the Entrecôte sauce is definitely a herb, mustard, anchovy and caper butter sauce that’s similar to a Béarnaise but with a bit of stock added to make it more ‘sauce like’. It’s also a sauce that’s slightly split – I go into this in the next section.
Try this recipe and the taste will bring you right back to Paris!
How to Make Entrecôte Sauce at Home
There are 2 steps in making the sauce and it requires a stick/immersion blender or a traditional pitcher blender.
The first is to heat up butter with shallots and anchovies, once its hot enough you mix in the herbs and capers and blitz with a blender. This creates the flavour base of the sauce.
Once the mixture has cooled a little, you blend the herby butter into egg yolks, Dijon mustard and vinegar – just like a Mayonnaise.
The result should be a thick, mayonnaise/béarnaise sauce. To thin it out and to make a pourable, creamy sauce, you whisk in stock and voilà, there’s your entrecôte sauce! However there’s two questions you might be having at this point…
Should the Sauce be Broken?
Almost all of the French recipes that you find online call for splitting half the sauce and then reincorporating back into the other half.
Why? Well the sauce does appear to be slightly split at the restaurant with its characteristic grainy appearance. I think this is a consequence of the fact that in a restaurant the sauce is always in contact with hot surfaces. The kitchen, the metal platters kept warm over candles and the hot steak will all contribute to keeping it hot and on the edge of splitting.
After experimenting I’ve found this additional step does help to give a grainier texture but it’s easily ‘saved’ by giving it a quick whisk. If you want a quicker, smoother and a technically more perfect sauce, you can skip this step.
Why is it so Green?
At this point you’ve got a smooth, very green sauce. In the restaurants, the sauce is darker – almost a greyish green – why? Herbs in sauces (think pesto) go a dull green, when exposed to heat for long periods of time.
To achieve a darker sauce, simply keep the sauce on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
What You’ll Need
To make the famous Entrecôte sauce, you’ll need:
Butter: This is a French recipe so of course we’ll need a lot of butter! Non-salted only though – salted would be too much!
Egg Yolk: Egg yolks are used to emulsify the butter to make a creamy sauce.
Stock: This is the secret (and what a lot of recipes miss out) to getting a pourable sauce. The gelatine in the stock also helps to stabilise the emulsion. I used home made chicken stock but beef will work better!
Shallots: Shallots add a sweet-savoury taste to the sauce. Avoid using white or red onions as these will really not work!
Dijon Mustard & Vinegar: Dijon mustard is a core part of the taste – do not leave this out or substitute with American mustard! You can use any vinegar you like or substitute with lemon juice.
Herbs: Herbs give the sauce its characteristic green (or let’s be honest, green-greyish) colour. Tarragon and parsley are a must. Basil, chervil and sage are optional.
Anchovies: Anchovies give umami, salt and depth of flavour. You can omit but I’d advise against it – don’t worry, it won’t taste fishy! If you omit them, use a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce.
Capers: Capers are an absolute must to get the proper flavour profile!
Ingredients
- 250g butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 1 bunch tarragon, leaves only
- 1 bunch parsley, leaves only
- 1 anchovy, from a tin
- 1 tsp capers
- 4 walnuts
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice, as required
- 50ml chicken or beef stock
Steps
- Melt the butter in a pan on a low-medium heat, add the shallot and sweat down for a few minutes.
- Once soft, remove from the heat and add the herbs, anchovies and capers. Blend immediately with a hand blender or a pitcher blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and there are no chunks.
- In a heatproof bowl, add the egg yolk, Dijon mustard and vinegar and whisk. Slowly poor in the butter mixture whilst whisking constantly. Whisk in the stock to finish the sauce.
- Optional Take 1/3 of the final sauce and place on a medium high heat, stirring all the time. Bring to a simmer and remove once it appears to be splitting.
- Add this ‘split’ sauce back to the 2/3 remaining sauce and stir to combine. It should be smooth with a tiny amount of ‘grain’. Season to taste (if required) with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Serve over grilled ribeye (it has to be ribeye!) and hot French fries.
Planning on visiting Paris and want to know where the best spots for steak? Check out our guide to the best steak frites in Paris.
