If you love oysters, then you need this mignonette sauce recipe in your life. It’s shockingly easy and made with shallots, red wine vinegar, and pepper.
This is our family’s essential mignonette. Mignonette (French) is roughly translated to “cute” or “dainty,” which seems fitting since it’s always served with a tiny spoon in a tiny bowl (haha).
I love this sauce with fresh oysters and think you will, too! This one is super classic, but try our herb mignonette for a herby, sweeter twist!
Key Ingredients
- Shallots: I mince my shallots finely and use a lot. The vinegar cuts their sharpness and gently pickles them. We hand-mince our shallot instead of using a food processor. (A food processor creates a more mushy situation that tastes stronger in the sauce.)
- Pepper: You can use white or black peppercorns. I like both. White pepper tastes more mellow and less spicy than black pepper, but both work nicely in this sauce.
- Vinegar: We have used red wine vinegar in our photos, but white wine vinegar and champagne vinegar are also excellent choices. Use something you enjoy the taste of. My favorite widely available brand of red wine vinegar is Pompeian, but you can always look in specialty stores and online for more high-end options.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Mignonette Sauce
Tip 1: Make the sauce. To make a classic mignonette for oysters, combine the finely minced shallots with vinegar and pepper. I also add a small pinch of sea salt, but that’s optional!
Tip 2: Let it sit in the fridge for a bit. After making it, store the sauce in the fridge for at least two hours so the shallots can mellow and pickle before serving it. And, here’s a fun fact about mignonette: it lasts in the fridge for a month! I actually love it after it has sat for a while in the refrigerator.
More Sauce Recipes
Essential Mignonette Sauce
- PREP
- TOTAL
If you love oysters, then you need this essential sauce in your life. It’s shockingly easy and made with shallots, red wine vinegar, and pepper. We have used red wine vinegar in our photos, but white wine vinegar and champagne vinegar are also excellent choices. Use something you enjoy the taste of. My favorite widely available brand of red wine vinegar is Pompeian, but you can always look in specialty stores and online for more high-end options.
You Will Need
¼ cup finely diced shallots, 1 to 2 shallots (30g)
⅓ to ½ cup red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar; use something you enjoy (80-120ml)
¼ to ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black or white peppercorns
Small pinch of fine sea salt, optional
Directions
1Make the sauce: Combine the shallots, vinegar, pepper, and a small pinch of salt in a non-reactive bowl or glass jar. Taste and adjust with more pepper. The vinegar will taste sharp at first, but it mellows as the shallots sit in the fridge. If the sauce tastes too abrasive, stir in a small pinch of sugar to balance it.
2Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving so the shallots can soften and pickle.
3Serve: Shuck your oysters and spoon the sauce into a small ramekin. Serve on the side and add a spoonful to each oyster just before eating. I like to go heavy on the shallots. Then repeat.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: This keeps for up to 1 month in the refrigerator. It will continue to mellow over time (which I enjoy). If it loses some of its brightness, stir in a splash of fresh vinegar to perk it up.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome!