Bois Boudran Sauce
AKA “Fancy Ketchup”
Skip directly to the recipe here.
Let’s set the record straight from the very beginning: ketchup is fantastic AS-IS. It’s why almost all of us always have a bottle of it in our fridges. It’s why we like to put in on everything from burgers to french fries to eggs and even some deli meats.
Ketchup is a lower-calorie condiment which makes it healthier than mayo, but that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of taste. And now even the big players like Heinz are making healthier organic versions and versions without any additional salt or sugar added to them.
That’s good for all of us looking to make small changes to our everyday diets without having to sacrifice those food items we cherish.
There have been countless articles written to help decode why we love ketchup as much as we do. This article from The Guardian does a great job explaining the science behind our enchantment with ketchup, for those who want to go a wee bit deeper into this.
So why mess with a good thing you ask?
Well, every now and then, we want to put on our fancy pants and get a little posh. Do something a little more elevated. And, as we’ve said countless times, find a way to take something from good to GREAT.
How to Make Ketchup Even Better.
For us, Bois Boudran sauce is hands-down the way to go. Its backstory is as fancy as the sauce itself, being developed by Michel Roux Senior for the Rothschild family.
Posh chef/restaurateur Heston Blumenthal gave the sauce a bit more fame when he included the sauce in his phenomenal (though not everyday-friendly) cookbook “Heston Blumenthal at home.”
The original version - the same one Heston describes in his cookbook - was a bit too time-consuming for us. So we took the basics of the original recipe and made it something that we home cooks could easily make with common ingredients and time-saving techniques.
Our taste-testers tried both versions and while there are definitely a few differences, most agreed that those differences were so minor that it wouldn’t be worth it to have to go and buy special ingredients and add more prep time to make the original.
Why You Will Want To Make This Sauce Over And Over. And Over.
This is a full-flavored, spicy sauce that gets its punchiness from the combination of cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and a smattering of chili pepper flakes.
You can also skip the cayenne and chili pepper flakes and use spicy ketchup like this one from Melinda’s which already has all the heat you need to give this sauce the kick it deserves.
Bois Boudran sauce holds up well against chicken and salmon, and in particular when either is poached, grilled, or barbequed.
We tried it with a slightly modified version of Heston Blumenthal’s salmon recipe and it was a revelation. If you are bored of your usual weeknight salmon recipe or even want something a little fancier for the weekend, we highly recommend you check out our recipe for Salmon With Bois Boudran Sauce And Crushed Potatoes on our sister website.
Bois Boudran Sauce
Cook Time: 10 minutes (with another 2+ hours in the fridge to have the herbs truly infuse into the sauce)
Yield: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (alternately, if you have it in your pantry, you can use sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar, either of which will add a tinge more sweetness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ cup olive oil
2 cups water
3 - 4 large shallots, peeled and finely diced (or you can use 1 large white onion, peeled and finely diced if you don’t have shallots in the house)
3 tablespoons of either parsley, basil, oregano, or tarragon (you can mix these all up together, or just choose one of them)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Preparation
Place the ketchup, vinegar Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add the shallots/onions for about 30 - 456 seconds, to soften them a bit, and then drain. Set drained shallots/onions aside.
Chop the herbs (whichever you decide to use) and add to the ketchup mixture.
Add the softened shallots/onions to the mixture.
Add the cayenne and chili pepper flakes to the mixture.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the herbs to infuse into the sauce.
Bois Boudran Sauce
Ingredients
Preparation
- Place the ketchup, vinegar Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add the shallots/onions for about 30 - 45 seconds, to soften them a bit, and then drain. Set drained shallots/onions aside.
- Chop the herbs (whichever you decide to use) and add to the ketchup mixture.
- Add the softened shallots/onions to the mixture.
- Add the cayenne and chili pepper flakes to the mixture.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the herbs to infuse into the sauce.
