A lot of people ask me how to make a good sauce to go with their steaks, pork chops and chicken. A simple piece of seared steak can be turned into an amazing dish with just a simple and flavourful pan sauce. Who wouldn’t say yes to a piece of perfectly cooked meat that is topped with a smooth and glossy sauce?

To many people, a pan sauce is fancy and that you could only get in a restaurant. The truth is, pan sauce is incredibly simple to make and it takes no time. The bulk of the flavour comes from the frying pan that you used to cook your meats. The bits of brown and fat that remain in the pan after you cooked the meat are the essence for your sauce. So never wash your pan if you want to make a great pan sauce. These are the flavour bits, which you can easily combine into a sauce by adding liquids to the pan, usually a combination of wine and broth.

A few ingredients that you will need for the sauce: wine, broth, garlic, fresh herbs and butter (optional).

Here are the basic steps for you to make the perfect pan sauce at home.

1. Sear the Meat

After you have cooked your steak (or any meat) to the doneness of your liking, take the steak out and let it rest on a plate. Cover with tin foil.

2. Add the Aromatics

In the same pan, add a bit more oil and add in the garlic cloves and fresh herbs. Gently cook the aromatics over medium heat to let them release their flavours. (if you want to turn this in to a black pepper sauce, add some whole black peppercorns into the pan at this stage).

3. Deglaze with some wine (or juice)

You can use any type of wine or beer. The most basic will be either red or white wine. But you may also use sparkling wine or fortified wines such as brandy and sherry. If you don’t want to use alcohol, go for juices, such as apple or orange juice (this will make your sauce sweet and tangy). At this stage you do not need much liquid, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan (so roughly about a glass or so of wine will do). This is an important step! Because by adding in the wine, you are actually helping the brown bits that is stuck to the bottom of the pan to come off and be mixed into the sauce. (think flavour!). Use a wooden spoon to start stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to get those brown bits off. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add the broth

I usually add about 250ml of low sodium broth, and you can use chicken, beef or vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and lower the heat and let it simmer and reduce. You want the sauce to reduce at least by half. At this point, the sauce will be a bit thicker and will be really flavourful. Taste it and season with salt, sugar and black pepper. Your sauce is done!

5. But…Here’s a restaurant trick. Add Butter!

If you want to kick it up a notch in flavour and shine, stir in a couple of small cubes of cold butter. This is not a necessary step but the butter will definitely make your sauce super smooth and creamy.

Now, spoon this glorious sauce on your piece of steak or whatever meat you’ve just cooked and enjoy!

Sauces for seafood dishes are a bit different. Pan frying a piece of fish might not get you enough flavour in the pan to give you a tasty sauce. You would need some help from other shellfish to make a sauce with some depth of flavour. Check out my video on “Pan Seared Black Cod Fillet with Saffron Clam Sauce” and learn how to make a good clam sauce to go with any seafood dish!

Recipe here: Pan Seared Black Cod Fillet with Saffron Clam Sauce