Best Watercress Sauce Recipes

CRISPY CHICKEN FINGERS WITH SWEET AND SOUR BLOOD ORANGE SAUCE, BLOOD ORANGE WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Blood Orange Granita, for serving, recipe follows
• For the blood orange rub: Place chicken pieces in a large dish and add the garlic powder, pepper, ground fennel, olive oil and blood orange zest. Coat the chicken with the rub and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• For the crispy chicken fingers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pot one-third full with the vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Line a baking tray with a cooling rack.
• Place the flour, whisked eggs and panko into individual dishes. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour, followed by the eggs and then the panko breadcrumbs. Place the breaded chicken on the prepared baking tray. In batches, place the chicken strips in the oil and fry until crispy and golden. Place on a baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken.
• For the sweet and sour blood orange sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the red onions and sweat until tender and translucent. Mix the honey, red wine vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a bowl. Add to the saute pan and stir. Add the blood orange zest, blood orange pieces and cinnamon stick. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook until the mixture has reduced by half.
• Strain the mixture through a sieve into a new pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Place the pot back over medium heat, add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer to cook the cornstarch out, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
• For the blood orange watercress salad: Segment the blood oranges over a sieve and bowl to ensure all the juices are reserved; set the segments aside. Place the olive oil, red wine vinegar and shallots in the blood orange juice. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Place the watercress and iceberg lettuce on a serving plate. Spoon the blood orange dressing over the greens. Garnish with the blood orange segments and crushed rice crackers.
• Serve the salad alongside the crispy chicken fingers with the sweet and sour blood orange dipping sauce.

BAVETTE STEAK WITH CHIPS, TARRAGON & MUSHROOM SAUCE & WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• Remove the steak from the fridge at least 1 hr before cooking and let it come to room temperature. The steak should have an even 1cm thickness, so lightly bash any thicker areas with a meat hammer or rolling pin. Scatter the salt over both sides of the steak and set aside.
• To prepare the chips, bring a large pan of water to a simmer and cook them for about 10 mins. Test with a fork after 6 mins - they should be very tender with slightly rough edges. If they're not yet ready, cook for the remaining time and check again. Carefully transfer to a wire rack using a slotted spoon and leave to steam-dry. You want them to be as dry as possible before frying.
• Next, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a small frying pan until foaming, then fry the shallots and garlic until soft, around 5 mins. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 mins more until they release some of their moisture. While the veg is cooking, bring the cream and tarragon stems to a simmer in a small pan. Pour through a sieve into the pan with the mushroom mixture. Stir, then reduce the heat and continue to cook the sauce until slightly thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• To fry the chips, tip the oil into a deep pan, making sure the pan is no more than two-thirds full, and ideally with a frying basket. Heat the oil to 180C. If you don't have a thermometer, you can check the temperature by dropping in one of the chips - if it sizzles immediately, it's ready. Deep-fry the chips in batches, making sure you don't overcrowd the pan, for 5-6 mins per batch until golden and crisp at the edges. Tip out of the frying basket onto kitchen paper (or remove with a slotted spoon) and leave to drain. Keep warm in a low oven while you cook the steak.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Pat the steak dry with kitchen paper (the salt will have drawn out some moisture), then drizzle with the oil. Cook for 3-4 mins on each side for medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a board or plate and leave to rest - keep warm by covering with foil. Pour any resting juices into the sauce.
• Reheat the sauce, then, using a very sharp knife, carve the steak across the grain into 1-2cm slices (or four equal steaks, if you prefer). Drizzle the sauce over the steak, scatter over the tarragon leaves, and serve with the chips and watercress on the side.

SALMON WITH LEMON-PEPPER SAUCE AND WATERCRESS-HERB SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk crème fraîche, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in small bowl. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper.
• Whisk honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning salmon fillets occasionally. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil. Transfer salmon fillets, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss watercress leaves and sprigs, dill sprigs, tarragon leaves, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with fleur de sel and pepper.
• Place 1 salmon fillet on each of 6 plates. Top with watercress salad. Drizzle with lemon-pepper sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve, passing additional sauce alongside.
• *A type of sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

SEA BASS WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter with oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add sea bass to skillet; cook just until opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add shallots to same skillet; stir 30 seconds. Add Vermouth; bring to boil. Continue to boil 1 minute. Add cream; boil until sauce thickens slightly and coats spoon, about 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup watercress to sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer fish to plates. Spoon sauce around fish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup watercress and serve.

SAUTEED VEAL CHOPS WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim stems from the watercress and discard them. Set a few leaves aside for garnishing. Wash watercress leaves and spin them dry.
• Dry veal chops with paper towels. Melt butter in a skillet large enough to hold two chops comfortably and brown them on both sides without burning them. Remove them and set them aside. Keep warm.
• Soften the shallot in the butter and add a couple of tablespoons of water, the watercress leaves and the creme fraiche. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping up the cooking juices, and return the chops to the pan with the lemon juice. Cover and simmer gently until the chops are cooked to the desired doneness. Season them with salt and pepper.
• Garnish the chops with the remaining watercress leaves and serve.

FARM EGGS WITH WATERCRESS AND PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Place eggs in single layer in large saucepan. Pour enough water over eggs to cover by 1 1/2 inches. Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt and bring to boil over high heat. Remove from heat; cover saucepan tightly and let stand 8 minutes. Drain. Return eggs to pan; cover with lid and shake pan to crack egg shells. Place eggs in large bowl of ice water and cool 5 minutes. Peel eggs and set aside.
• Place garlic in small ramekin; pour 2 tablespoons boiling water over and let stand 2 minutes. Transfer garlic with garlic liquid to blender. Add watercress, parsley, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. With blender running, add olive oil in thin stream and blend until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. do ahead Eggs and watercress-parsley sauce can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring sauce to room temperature before using.
• Cut eggs lengthwise into halves or quarters. If desired, cut off very thin slice from rounded side of each half or quarter so that eggs can stand upright. Arrange eggs on platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spoon watercress-parsley sauce over and around eggs and serve.

ASPARAGUS WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the asparagus in a steamer basket over a saucepan of simmering water.
• Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes until tender crisp and bright green.
• Or microwave if you prefer.
• Reserve 4 of the sprigs of watercress and place the remaining sprigs in the bowl of a food processor with the sour cream and mayonnaise.
• Process until almost smooth.
• Season with salt and pepper and taste.
• Divide asparagus spears among serving plates, top with a watercress sprig and serve with the sauce.

GINGER MARINATED SQUAB WITH MANGO SAUCE AND WATERCRESS SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine wine and mustard to dissolve. Add ginger, garlic, oil and juniper berries. Coat squab with marinade and let stand for 4 hours. Season the squab. Heat a skillet and coat with oil. Pan sear the squab, breast side down until brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Squab should be eaten rare. Let rest 4 minutes.
• WATERCRESS SALAD: In a bowl, whisk together juice, sugar and oil. Toss well with nuts and greens. Season and check.;
• MANGO SAUCE: In a small stockpot or large saucepan, coat lightly with oil and brown mire poix. Deglaze with wine and reduce by 80 percent. Add thyme, ginger, pepper, soy, carcasses and cover with water, (6 to 8 cups). Bring to a boil and turn down heat to simmer, 11/2 hours. Strain. Place in another saucepan and reduce by 50 percent. Whisk in the mango puree and butter. Season and check. Keep warm.
• PLATING: On white plates, sauce the whole plate. Place a small mound of salad in the center and lay 2 pieces of squab on top, legs crissed-crossed. Garnish with nuts.

ROASTED BEETS WITH WATERCRESS & HORSERADISH APPLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. If your beetroot comes with leafy tops, cut them down, making sure you leave about 3cm stalk intact. Leave the beets whole, then carefully wash and pat dry. Wrap individually in foil and roast until tender when pierced - about 1-2 hrs (depending on size). Cool in the foil before peeling. Can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• To make the sauce, heat a small frying pan, then toss in the apples with the sugar and 1 tbsp water. Cover and cook until the apples are soft and mushy. Remove from the heat, add the vinegar and blitz to a purée using a hand blender or food processor. Stir in the horseradish and soured cream and season with salt.
• To serve, cut the beetroot into wedges, place in a bowl and mix with the sauce. Serve on a bed of watercress.

SMOKED HADDOCK & CHEDDAR FISHCAKES WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes, bay leaf, peppercorns and parsley stalks in a big pan of cold water. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins until tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to a colander and leave to steam-dry. Turn the heat down, add the fish and poach gently for 5 mins until it flakes easily. Tip the potatoes into a big bowl and put the fish in the colander to drain for a few mins.
• Add the cheese, some pepper and a little salt to the potatoes and mash well. Flake in about half the fish, discarding the skin and bones, and mash in too. Flake in the remaining fish in big chunks, scatter over the sliced spring onions and gently mix together. Roll the mixture into golf-ball-sized cakes.
• Tip the flour onto a plate and season. Tip the egg and breadcrumbs into 2 shallow bowls each. Roll each fishcake first in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Sit on some parchment-lined trays that fit in your fridge. Chill for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs.
• Fill a deep frying pan with 1-2cm of sunflower oil, heat until shimmering, then brown a few fishcakes at a time, turning regularly. If the oil gets too crumby, change halfway through. You can serve them straight away, or cool and chill for up to 24 hrs in the fridge, then simply warm for 30 mins in an oven at 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 before the party.
• Make the dipping sauce up to 1 hr before serving - put the roughly chopped spring onions, the parsley leaves, watercress, rapeseed oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 5 tbsp water in a food processor or blender. Whizz to the consistency of single cream.
• Pile the warm fishcakes onto a platter with a bowl of watercress sauce on the side and some lemon wedges for squeezing over, if you like.

WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 inches from the stems of the watercress. In a food processor, combine the watercress, egg yolk, lemon juice and salt and pepper. While processing drizzle in the olive oil. Keep sauce cool until serving. Place a dab of sauce aside each quail. Garnish plates with watercress.

LINGUINE WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to packet instructions until it is tender.
• Put garlic, anchovies and capers into a food processor and blend well.
• Add the watercress and blend again.
• With the motor running, drizzle in the oil to make a soft paste.
• Mix four tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the sauce then season to taste.
• Drain the pasta and return to the pan, stir in the sauce and serve with plenty of black pepper.

SALMON WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add watercress and stir until wilted and still bright green, about 3 minutes. Add cream. Increase heat to high and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Puree hot sauce in blender until almost smooth. Transfer to heavy small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)
• Butter 2 steamer racks and place in 2 large saucepans over simmering water. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, on steamer racks. Cover saucepans and steam until salmon is just opaque in center, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk sauce over low heat to rewarm. Transfer salmon to platter. Spoon some of sauce over salmon. Garnish with additional watercress. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH WATERCRESS OR SPINACH SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of an oven proof dish.
• Cover with the sliced onion and pour over the white wine.
• Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Place the watercress or spinach in a liquidizer.
• When the chicken is cooked, drain off the cooking liquid onto the watercress or spinach.
• Add the cream cheese to the liquid and blnd until smooth.
• Pour the liquid into a saucepan and heat, seasoning to taste with the vegetable bouillon powder.
• When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and slice.
• place the sliced chicken on serving plates and coat with the sauce.
• Serve with salad.

MACKEREL, WATERCRESS AND RHUBARB GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Put rhubarb in saucepan with orange juice, half the sugar, half the ginger and the butter. Cook over medium heat until rhubarb is tender but still holding its shape. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar and ginger if necessary.
• The sauce must be sharp and intense.
• Preheat broiler or grill. Stuff cavity of the mackerel with tarragon sprigs. Brush fish with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook over or under high heat for four to five minutes on each side.
• Meanwhile, discard stems from watercress. Rinse leaves and drain well. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat and add garlic and salt and pepper. Immediately add the watercress and stir until barely wilted. Remove from pan and put alongside mackerel on six individual plates. Serve immediately.

BARLEY GNOCCHI WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• (4 servings) In a small saucepan, combine the barley. 3½ cups water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer until liquid has absorbed, about an hour. Uncover and let the barley cool. You will have 3 Meanwhile to make the sauce, discard the tough stems from the watercress and basil and rip them into tiny pieces. Do not chop with a knife or in a processor because they could turn brown around the edges. Scoop them into a 9-inch glass pie dish and add the shallots, oil and butter. Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave on full power until the greens have wilted, about 1½ minutes. Remove the sauce to a dish and keep it warm. To make the gnocchi, scoop the barley (remove and discard the bay leaf), scallions, oregano, parsley and flour into a processor and whiz until a ball of dough is formed, about 10 seconds. Then wet your hands and shape the dough into firm, walnut- sized balls; you will have about 20. Meanwhile pour the stock into a 9-inch glass pie dish, cover with a plate and heat for a couple of minutes to get the chill off. When the gnocchi are ready, set them into the dish, cover again and microwave on full power until they are heated though and slightly shiny, about 3 minutes. Do not over-microwave or the gnocchi will fall apart. When the gnocchi are ready, immediately remove them from the stock and arrange them in 4 shallow bowls. Scoop on some sauce and swirl the gnocchi around so they are coated. Serve warm as an appetizer or first course. Per serving: 301 calories, 9 gm protein, 48 gm carbohydrates, 8 gm fat, 3 gm saturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 415 mg sodium.

ROASTED COD WITH EASY WATERCRESS SAUCE & ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Smear the skin of the cod with the butter and season with sea salt. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan. When very hot add the cod, skin side down, and fry, without moving the fish, until the skin is crisp and golden. Invert on to a shallow ovenproof dish, ready to finish it off in the oven.
• Put the cherry tomatoes in a separate shallow ovenproof dish and drizzle with another 1 tbsp oil.
• To make the sauce, cook the shallots and wine in a small pan for about 2-3 minutes until the wine has almost gone. Tip into a food processor with the crème fraîche and watercress, season with salt and pepper and blitz. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, return to the pan and set aside. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape. (At this stage the cod, sauce and cream can be kept in the fridge, lightly covered with cling film, for up to 4 hours.)
• About 20 minutes before you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to fan 170C/conventional 190C/gas 5. Roast the cod and tomatoes for 12-15 minutes until just cooked. Meanwhile, gently reheat the sauce, remove from the heat and fold in the cream. Taste and add more seasoning and lemon juice if necessary. Set the cod on warm dinner plates with the cherry tomatoes and spoonfuls of watercress sauce. Garnish with sprigs of parsley or chervil and serve with buttered new potatoes.

SALMON & FENNEL EN CROUTE WITH WATERCRESS SAUCE

Steps:

• Fry the fennel and onion in the butter for 5 mins. Add the garlic, fry for 5 mins more until the veg is soft, then stir in the watercress.
• Cut the pastry into 4 pieces, then roll each piece to approx 22cm square. Spoon a quarter of the veg onto one half of each piece of pastry and spread to approx the shape of the salmon fillet. Put the fish on top, then brush round the pastry with egg, fold over and seal. Trim the pastry to make 4 parcels, then decorate with the trimmings.
• For the sauce, whizz all but 4 sprigs of watercress with the crème fraîche and seasoning. Heat until bubbling when ready to eat. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Brush the parcels with egg, then bake for 15 mins until golden. Serve parcels on a pool of sauce, garnished with the reserved watercress. Serve with new potatoes and green beans or salad.