Frankfurt's Famous Green Sauce

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 07/10/21
German Green sauce with potatoes and hard boiled eggs
StockFood /oodcollection/Getty Images
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
609 Calories
31g Fat
53g Carbs
31g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 609
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 13g 64%
Cholesterol 554mg 185%
Sodium 487mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 19%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 37mg 183%
Calcium 342mg 26%
Iron 7mg 41%
Potassium 1700mg 36%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

In Frankfurt dialect, this recipe for sour cream and herbs is called grie soβ. You can find the herbs used in this sauce packaged together and kitchen-ready in the Frankfurter region in Germany. No one else sells them like this, so you have to put together your own mixture if you do not live in the Frankfurt area.

These herbs in German are borretsch, kerbel, kresse, petersilie, pimpinelle, sauerampfer und schnittlauch (borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, and chives). Some of these herbs are difficult to find outside of Germany. You may become adept at gathering the herbs wild, or several seed companies sell the more unknown seeds, like borage and pimpernel (salad burnet).

This sauce is served cold over hard-cooked eggs or hot boiled potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 2 large hard-cooked egg yolks

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as walnut

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 2/3 cup quark

  • 2/3 cup Greek yogurt

  • 2/3 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

  • 10 to 12 ounces fresh herbs, such as parsley, cress, chives, borage, salad burnet, sorrel, or chervil

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste

  • 4 medium boiled potatoes

  • 8 large hard-cooked eggs

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a medium bowl, mash egg yolks with oil and mix to form a smooth paste. Add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice.

  3. Mix in quark, yogurt, and sour cream. Add herbs and then season to taste with pepper, salt, and lemon juice.

  4. Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until herbs are reduced to very small pieces and cream is bright green. You can choose to sieve the mixture into a bowl to remove large pieces of herb or egg yolk.

  5. Serve cold over hot, boiled potatoes and hard-cooked eggs.

Recipe Variations

  • Add dill or lemon balm.
  • Try using this sauce as a bread dip or salad dressing.