Creole Remoulade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium mixing bowl
• •Whisk
• •Rubber spatula
• •Pint jar or airtight container for storage

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the base

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and Creole mustard until completely smooth. This is your foundation. The mustard should be fully incorporated, no streaks, no lumps. Add the horseradish and whisk again. You'll smell it immediately. That sharp bite mellows as the sauce rests.

   Creole mustard is non-negotiable here. It's coarser and spicier than yellow mustard, with those little mustard seeds that give the sauce texture. Zatarain's is the classic choice.
2. 2

   Add the heat and seasoning

   Whisk in the lemon juice, hot sauce, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Watch the color transform from pale yellow to that gorgeous rusty orange. The paprika gives color and sweetness. The cayenne brings the heat. Start with the amounts listed, but know you'll adjust at the end. That's the bayou way.

3. 3

   Fold in the aromatics

   Add the minced green onions, parsley, garlic paste, celery, capers, and Worcestershire sauce. Fold everything together with a rubber spatula until the herbs and aromatics are evenly distributed throughout. The sauce should look speckled with green and have visible texture from the mustard seeds and capers.

   Mince that celery as fine as you can get it. Big chunks of celery have no place in a proper remoulade. You want the flavor without the crunch.
4. 4

   Taste and adjust

   Now comes the most important step. Taste it. Really taste it. Need more heat? Add cayenne a pinch at a time. Too flat? A squeeze more lemon juice will wake it up. Not salty enough? Don't be shy. The sauce should be bold and assertive. It's going to share a plate with shrimp and fried foods, so it needs backbone.

   If you're serving this to folks with different heat tolerances, err on the milder side and put a bottle of hot sauce on the table. Let everyone make it their own.
5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Transfer the remoulade to a jar or covered container and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Overnight is better. The flavors need time to get acquainted, to meld and marry. When you taste it after resting, you'll understand why patience matters. The sauce will have become something greater than the sum of its parts.

Chef Tips

• •At Lagniappe, we make this every morning for the dinner service. The overnight rest transforms it. If you can wait 24 hours before serving, you'll taste the difference.
• •Duke's mayonnaise is the only commercial brand I trust for this sauce. That extra tang from the vinegar works with the Creole mustard. Hellmann's will do in a pinch, but Duke's is the Louisiana choice.
• •Fresh horseradish from a jar is fine, but if you can find a whole root, grate it yourself. The heat is cleaner and more immediate. Just don't touch your eyes.
• •This sauce loves cold boiled shrimp, fried catfish, oyster po'boys, and crab cakes. At Lagniappe, we also put it on roast beef debris sandwiches. Don't knock it until you've tried it.
• •The cayenne amount makes a medium-heat sauce. For a gentler version, cut it to half a teaspoon. For serious heat, go up to two teaspoons. Know your audience.

Advance Preparation

• •Remoulade improves dramatically after resting overnight. Make it a day ahead if you can.
• •Stored in an airtight container, this sauce keeps refrigerated for up to two weeks. The flavor stays bold the whole time.
• •The aromatics are best fresh. If you're doubling the recipe for a party, prep the mayo base ahead but fold in the green onions and parsley closer to serving for the brightest flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 28g)