In this article, we’ll talk about how to make bistro sauce at home, plus some cool history about it.

What is bistro sauce?

A bit of bistro history—the word “bistro” comes from France (as does a lot of things to do with food). It originally meant “proprietor of a tavern”.

But over the centuries, it has come to refer to a small restaurant or pub where the food is simple and cheap, but can still fill your tummy and your soul. Want good food on a budget? Just pop into your friendly neighborhood bistro.

Now picture this. You’re running a French bistro in the late 1800s. Yours is a small local joint, and you don’t exactly have the kitchen team to push out a 100-item menu.

So what do you do? You start to experiment with all-purpose dishes, items that pair well with just about anything.

Which is how we go to the all-inclusive, all-loving, all-purpose bistro sauce. This sauce doesn’t discriminate between a dip and a sandwich. If it’s on your plate, you can pair it with bistro sauce.

How to make bistro sauce at home

Making bistro sauce at home is simple. So simple, in fact, that a hard-pressed Parisian restaurateur could do it in minutes!

This recipe takes just 11 minutes to make (10 minutes prep + 1 minute “cooking”). In these proportions, it’ll yield 10 to 12 servings.

Ingredients

•  2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 2 tablespoons catsup
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (Creole)
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1  and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• 2 finely minced garlic cloves

Preparation instructions

1. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients
2. Enjoy!

It really is that simple.

A quick note on the taste here. Bistro sauce has just the slightest spicy oomph to it. Prefer not to scald your taste buds? Go a bit easier on the Tabasco sauce. Since that’s where most of the kick comes from, it’s the Tabasco that has its foot on the spiciness pedal.

However, The best thing about bistro sauce is that it’s really friendly—it gets along with just about anything you serve it alongside. But it’s especially great pals with seafood, sweet potato fries, onion blossoms, and even a good patty. Pour a bit of bistro sauce on these and you’ll enjoy both the sauce and base a lot better!

Final thoughts!

They say your food can two of three things: easy to make, quick to make, or taste great. So when you find a recipe that’s all three, you know you’ve hit the jackpot.

Luckily for you, bistro sauce checks all three boxes! It tastes great, takes minutes to make, and you don’t have to hunt for exotic ingredients to add to the sauce.

What would you pair with this succulent sauce? Let us know in the comments!