Frankfurter Grüne Soße, Frankfurt Green Sauce
Grüne Soße is Frankfurt's cold green sauce, a bright raw blend of herbs bound in something creamy and eaten by the bowlful over hot boiled potatoes. The city guards the tradition closely, down to the seven specific herbs it is supposed to contain, but the idea travels: what matters is a large volume of soft fresh herbs, an acidic tang, and a cool base to carry them. Here plant yogurt and silken tofu stand in for the sour cream and egg, and mustard and vinegar sharpen the whole thing. The one rule worth keeping is to pulse rather than puree, since the sauce should look flecked and feel loose, not smooth and dark. Make it a few hours ahead and let it sit.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Plain plant yogurt, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup Silken tofu
- 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley, packed, chopped
- 1/2 cup Chives, snipped
- 1/4 cup Dill, chopped
- 1/2 cup Watercress, chopped
- 2 tbsp Tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 whole Shallots, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Blend the silken tofu with the yogurt, mustard, vinegar, and lemon juice until smooth. Silken tofu gives the sauce the body that chopped hard-boiled egg gives the original, so smoothing it into the base first means the herbs later stay in visible green flecks rather than dissolving into a thin dressing.
- Add all the herbs and the minced shallot and pulse, do not puree. Pulsing keeps the sauce green-flecked and fresh; running the blender until smooth bruises the herbs, heats them, and turns the color a dull army green with a grassy, blunt taste.
- The seven-herb original leans on borage, sorrel, and chervil, which few stores carry. Parsley, chives, dill, cress, and tarragon cover the same range of grassy, oniony, anise, and peppery notes, so use whatever fresh green herbs you can get by the handful rather than skipping it.
- Cover and rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. The raw shallot softens in the acid and the herbs bleed their color and flavor into the base, which is why this sauce is always better made ahead. Spoon it over boiled potatoes, the classic Frankfurt pairing.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 70 calories, 4 g protein, 1 g fiber, 105 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
