Lemongrass Ginger Sauce

By
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and author of four cookbooks. He has expertise in wild foods and has written over 1,000 recipes.
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Updated on 11/28/21
Lemongrass stems
Lemongrass stems on a dewey leaf

migin/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191 Calories
10g Fat
14g Carbs
2g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 160mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 5%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 38mg 3%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 335mg 7%
*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.)

This lemon grass ginger sauce recipe is a fusion of Asian and Spanish flavors and relies on fresh ingredients—shallots, ginger, lemongrass, and celery leaves. 

It's easy to make. You briefly sauté the ingredients just until the shallots and garlic start to soften; they should not turn brown. Then you add the fresh minced ginger and white wine (a nod to Spanish cuisine, where white wine is added to many sauces) and cook it down to about half, which intensifies the flavor. The celeries leaves are added off the heat because they wilt quickly and lose their bright color. 

Blending the sauce at the end gives it a thick, smooth consistency, just right to spoon over all kinds of seafood. Besides crab, you can also use it for shrimp, swordfish, mackerel, yellowtail (also known as Hamachi), sturgeon, halibut and anything that is pretty firm.

While lemongrass is also available dried, for this sauce, you’ll need fresh lemongrass. It has a bright, more complex flavor than dried lemongrass. Because fresh lemongrass is rather fibrous and stringy, it is often removed from the final dish before serving. In this sauce, however, it is blended to a smooth consistency with the other ingredients. 

Even though fresh lemongrass keeps in the refrigerator for a few weeks, if you don’t use it frequently, a better way to keep it on hand for dishes like this sauce where you only need a small amount it to freeze it already finely chopped in 1-tablespoon size portions. 

Leftover sauce can be stored in a jar or an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days. It is best served at room temperature as it will lose its fresh taste and turn a dull color when reheated.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 medium shallots, finely chopped

  • 1-inch piece lemongrass, finely chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves

  • Salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallots and lemongrass and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring well.

  2. Add the wine, the grated or finely chopped ginger and a little salt, then turn the heat up to high. Boil off the wine by half, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, one tablespoon of celery leaves, and taste for salt—add some if you need it.

  3. Pour the sauce into a food processor and blitz it until it becomes a thick puree; it should look a bit like a light green mayo, as everything will emulsify.