White "Cream" Sauce with Garlic Olive Oil

I'll bet you looked at the title of this entry and started adding up the calories, didn't you?  Well, if this were a true cream sauce, it would have a high carb and fat content.  This sauce is just as good but much healthier for you.

This sauce is called a Veloute Sauce and has several variations. Rather than using a cream as the liquid base, we are going to use cooking stock.  We can use chicken stock, seafood stock and if you like, vegetable stock.  If you have the time to make your own stock, then by all means do so.  But if you're pressed for time then feel free to use store bought...I've had great success with Swanson's.

I've made this sauce before with chicken stock and used it as a topping sauce for chicken filled crepes.  I also used it as a pasta sauce and as a sauce over steamed vegetables.

Last night I broiled some fish and it looked just too plain sitting on the plate so I made this sauce using seafood stock.  If you wish to do this, simply season the fish filet with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder and drizzle a bit of  Joe and Son's Extra Virgin Olive Oil on it and broil until done.



 

 

Veloute Sauce for Seafood

2 Tablespoons Joe and Son’s Garlic Olive Oil

2 Tablespoon flour

2 cups Seafood Cooking Stock, (I used Swanson’s)

Pour the Garlic Olive Oil into a medium sized sauce pan. Warm to a medium heat and add the flour to the oil. Lower the temperature and stir until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add 1 ½ cup of the seafood stock and whisk while adding. Cook over low heat until the liquid becomes a sauce thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10-15 minutes.  If it is too thick, add the remainder of the seafood stock.

I don’t salt before it’s done, because sometimes the seafood stock can be salty. And be aware that if adding capers later, that could add more of a salty taste as well.

At this point, you have a basic white seafood sauce with not much of a distinct flavor. I chose to add some drained capers, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon chives,
½ teaspoon dried rosemary and ½ teaspoon minced garlic.*

Taste for salt and pepper and add as needed.

When I plated the fish, I poured a little sauce over it and sprinkled it with some plain paprika for color.

* Feel free to season the sauce as you prefer…you could add Tarragon, Basil, Peppercorns, whatever strikes your fancy.