If you love punchy sauces with your steak then you have to try this steak with bois boudrin. Try it with any steak! It's a delicious recipe full of flavour and perfect for a special meal or date night.
I think you're going to agree with me here. Sometimes there is just nothing better for dinner than a plate of steak, chips and a good sauce. There are some classics that I love such as chimichurri, pink peppercorn and creamy mustard and mushroom sauce. But sometimes I like to try something different and a little less well known. I only heard of bois boudrin sauce recenly and I really wanted to try it.
After all, I'd read that Gordon Ramsey’s favourite sauce for a fillet steak was a bois boudrin. I knew it must be good! The recipe in this post is adapted from a Gordon Ramsey's recipe on BBC Good Food.
What is bois boudrin?
Bois Boudrin was apparently first created by Michel Roux. It's a great steak sauce packed full of punchy flavours - ketchup, shallots, vineger, cherry tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice and tarragon.
You don't need to cook it. Just mix everything up and let the flavours have time to develop. If you have time it's the kind of sauce that is great to make in advance.
It's fair to say that you do have to love punchy flavours to enjoy this. It is a big bold sauce and if you do prefer things to be a little more subtle it might not be for you. However, if you like your meals to have a bit of a kick to them then I’m sure you’ll love bois boudrin as much as we did.
Ingredient notes for steak with bois boudrin?
To make this steak with bois boudrin you'll need:
- Onion - Most recipes call for shallots but I tend to use onions as I always have some in the cupboard. I think they are interchangeable for most recipes including this one. Feel free to use red or brown onions.
- Tomatoes - You can use cherry tomatoes, halved or larger tomatoes, diced.
- Tomato ketchup
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Mustard - I usually add a little English mustard as that's the one we use mainly at home. Feel free to use French or whole grain mustard instead. The key to making sure it is not too strong is to add a little and then taste and add more if you feel it needs it.
- Lemon juice - Use a fresh lemon if possible but bottled lemon juice is fine.
- Balsamic vinegar - I like the flavour of balsamic vinegar in a bois boudrin sauce but you can replace it with white or red wine vinegar too.
- Extra virgin olive oil - Use a good quality one if possible.
- Steaks - The first time I made this I used fillet steak as Gordon Ramsey had said it was his favourite sauce with fillet steak. However, I have made it lots of times since then and it really doesn't matter what cut of steak you use. Just use your favourite!
How to prepare steak with bois boudrin
Do check out the recipe card further down the post for full details. Basically, this recipe is as easy as it gets.
You just mix all the ingredients for the sauce together. There is no cooking needed for it. Justs make sure to taste the sauce and adjust any ingrdients to suit your tastes. Some people like more vinegar, more mustard or Worcestershire sauce.
If you have time you can make the sauce the day before or just a few hours before so the flavours have time to develop.
Then cook the steak carefully. Timing will depend on how thick the steak is. I find 2 minutes in a hot pan and then 10 minutes resting time makes beautiful pink steak but if it is thickly cut, cook it for 3 minutes on each side.
Ways to adapt the bois boudrin sauce
You can adapt this to suit what ingredients you have. Feel free to adapt the kind of vinegar you use or add a diced jalapeno if you want some heat.
If you like tarragon then do add some. I am not always keen on the flavour and when I first made this I didn't use it. I loved the sauce so much that I have never felt tempted to add any. However, you may love tarragon and the slight aniseed flavour it gives the dish so do feel free to go ahead and add some if you have it.
Another way you could get a little of that tarragon flavour would be to add a few fennel seeds or ground star anise.
Do you have to serve this Sauce with Fillet Steak?
Of course not! I served it with fillet steak when I first made and pusblished this recipe but I've since made the bois boudrin sauce lots of times with other cuts of steak. It's just as good with sirloin or rump steak!
What can you do with the leftovers?
It's best to cook the steak when you are ready to eat it but the bois boudrin sauce can be made in advance and then stored in the fridge for up to three days.
If you then want to eat the bois boudrin sauce in a different way then why not try it with:
- Chicken, pork or fish
- On an omelette
- With fried halloumi
Recipe
Fillet Steak with Bois Boudrin
Ingredients
- ¼ onion finely diced
- 2 tomatoes diced, or halved cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 fillet steaks
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together except the steak. Put in the fridge until you need it but take it out 30 minutes before serving.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Cook the steaks for 2 minutes on each side or a bit longer if you want them more well done.
- Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving with the sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and a guideline only.
Nutrition
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Nicky Corbishley
Great sauce recipe. I'm a sucker for a creamy sauce, but I need something a little healthier to pair with my steak. This looks great 🙂
Corina
Thank you. This is a bit healthier but it's still really tasty.
Dana Fashina
Definitely a bold sauce but a fine complement to steak like that :-). Looks amazing!
Corina
Thank you - I am even considering making it again today as it would be a great meal to finish the year on!