How to Make a Traditional English Parsley Sauce

If your memories of English Parsley Sauce are school dinners as a child, then like me, you may have long put the parsley sauce recipe well out of reach. Those memories involve a thick, gloopy sauce, often only lukewarm. The sauce, unsurprisingly, fell out of favour, and for the longest time have disappeared save a few instant sauces on the market.

What a shame as parsley sauce is actually a really delicious, quick and simple sauce to make and will jazz up many a piece of fish, or baked ham. It is firmly back on my repertoire and i am happy to report, I am now seeing it regularly making a comeback in restaurants too.

It is the simplicity and freshness of this sauce that makes this a real winner. Once made serve with steamed or baked fish, a tasty fishcake, or slices of boiled or baked ham and it is also super poured over cooked broccoli or other green veggies (a sprinkling of grated cheese adds a little extra zing, but is optional) which can then be flashed under a grill or broiler.

Parsley is the classic herb in this dish but there are other tasty alternatives, see the notes below.

See Also

Warmed Oysters with Chive Sauce Recipe

Gammon with Pease Pudding Recipe - Recipes - Gordon Ramsay

Recipes for English Sauces

Ingredients

• 25g / 1 oz butter
• 25g / 1 oz plain flour
• 1 ½ tsp English mustard (optional)
• 250 ml / 1 cup  milk
• A good handful flat leaved parsley,  chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Preparation

• In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat.
• Stir in the flour and mustard if using. Stir thoroughly and a thick paste will form but don't worry. Cook gently for a further 2 - 3 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the milk. I prefer to use a whisk as I find it easier but a wooden spoon is fine.
• Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure there are no lumps. The sauce should be quite thick but still a pouring consistency, if too thick add a little more milk. Add the parsley.

• Add a good pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of black pepper, taste and add more to taste.

Keep the sauce warm until needed. If you need to keep the sauce longer than about 15 minutes I recommend laying a piece of buttered greaseproof paper on the surface to prevent a skin forming. If a slight skin does form, whisk thoroughly and it should disappear. The sauce will keep covered in the fridge for a day or two but no longer. Freezing not recommended.

Though the addition of parsley is a classic, there are alternatives to ring the changes.

Alternatives to Parsley in the Sauce:

Add finely chopped chervil or tarragon and a tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice, great with fish.

With boiled or baked ham, reserve some of the cooking liquor and make the sauce with half milk and half stock.

Stir in 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese and use over cooked vegetables au gratin.