Combine Soy Sauce With Another Classic For The Ultimate Flavor In Your Fish Dishes

Along with ketchup, mayo, and mustard, soy sauce is one condiment that's seldom missing from a fridge. The dark, umami sauce is a shortcut to mouthwatering flavor. It's perfect for practically everything, particularly mild fish. To really take your seafood to the next level, combine your soy sauce with beurre blanc.

A delicious, yet simple, secret weapon, beurre blanc is the bright French sauce that accompanies fish dishes, and much more. Translating to "white butter," the sauce is made from the titular ingredient, white wine vinegar, salt, shallots, and white wine, lending a rich, yet tangy flavor. Adding soy sauce into the mix simply boosts the tanginess — which is the perfect complement for sweet seafood — while adding a savory component that doesn't interfere with the richness of beurre blanc. The classic sauce also has a slight sweetness that's derived from the shallots. The result is a quick, yet complex-tasting sauce that you won't want to eat fish without.

To make the sauce, follow all the usual steps for beurre blanc, making sure to leave out the salt that's typically in the sauce. Soften the minced shallots in a small amount of butter, then add in the wine, a tablespoon or two of soy sauce, and vinegar. Once the mixture has reduced, strain out the shallots, then return the sauce to the pan, slowly adding in cubes of butter and stirring until you reach a velvety consistency.

The mix of soy sauce and beurre blanc is best when paired with milder seafood recipes that aren't packed with a myriad of flavors. Although beurre blanc has a refined ingredient list, soy sauce packs an indelicate punch that can be overpowered with something of a similar strength. Pan-fried salmon croquettes are the perfect accompaniment to soy beurre blanc. The croquettes feature bell pepper, lemon zest, shallots, and dill, providing the salmon with an earthy taste that doesn't compete with the sauce.

Panko-crusted red snapper is another uncomplicated seafood dish that was made for soy beurre blanc. Aside from olive oil, black pepper, and garlic powder, the sweet, nutty taste of the red snapper is the only thing fully present in this recipe. Some umami beurre blanc amps up the luxurious flavor of the fish, giving it a velvety feel to match the tender fish. To give the meal a zestier finish, whip up Julia Child's beurre blanc sauce, which features lemon juice in addition to the white wine. Pair the snapper with garlic-ginger Brussels sprouts and miso-glazed sweet potatoes.

Mahi mahi's tender, buttery flavor is the perfect pick for a savory beurre blanc sauce. The firm, yet juicy fish complements the smooth sauce while its sweet taste is balanced out by the soy sauce and white wine. Pan-sear the fish to give it a delicious, browned crust and preserve its moist interior.