Bobby Flay's Favorite Sauce For Fish Is One Of The Easiest To Make

When it comes to fish, celebrity chef Bobby Flay has a few tricks up his sleeve. For instance, he suggests seeking out robust, flavorful fish — such as salmon — in lieu of the more mild-tasting cod. Meanwhile, in his recipe for halibut, Flay recommends making an herbaceous chermoula. Yet one of the chef's best tips for cooking fish is also his simplest; rather than concoct an elaborate fish sauce, Flay pinpoints vinaigrette as a light, delicious, and easy-to-make addition to your favorite seafood recipes.

In fact, Flay started using vinaigrette as a fish sauce because of its association with California cuisine. While working at Jonathan Waxman's New York City restaurant Jams — an eatery specializing in California-inspired dishes — Flay started using vinaigrette as sauce.  "What's great about [vinaigrettes], like with this salmon, is that you drizzle it on top of the warm fish, and the heat allows the flavors in the vinaigrette to open up," Flay told Bon Appetit in a 2014 interview.

As for how to make the vinaigrette — and which fish work best alongside it — you have a few options. Just like fish variations, vinaigrettes range from the versatile to the ultra-flavorful, so you have to consider the interplay between the two. 

You can use vinaigrette as salad dressing — and pair salad with fish — so why not make the same sauce for both your side and main? Vinaigrette adds moisture to fish, per Bobby Flay, and can transform even the most mild of dishes into something far more flavorful. 

As for the vinaigrettes that work best with fish, you have no shortage of options. When in doubt, take your cue from Chef Jonathan Waxman, who inspired Flay's use of vinaigrette on seafood. At this year's Mauna Lani Culinary Classic food festival, Waxman paired a macadamia pesto-style vinaigrette with grilled Hawaiian kanpachi. As a more mild and buttery fish, kanpachi allows the stronger flavors of macadamia and pesto to shine, while still embracing a lightness in flavor and texture. 

If you're a fan of fruit with your fish, however, you can alternatively try a vinaigrette flavored with pomegranate molasses. Pair it with salmon or halibut, though most fishes work well with the added pomegranate flavor. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with a simple lemon and herb-based vinaigrette, which works well across fish types, whether you're roasting a whole branzino or experimenting with cod. After all, Flay equates vinaigrettes with cocktails for a reason; both require well-balanced ingredients — and work in conjunction with the rest of your meal.