Swedish Dill Mustard sauce is traditional to eat, especially with lox. It is an essential part both at the Christmas table as well as the midsummer feast with salmon or pickled herring and potatoes.
Hovmästarsås is also called gravlaxsås, since it is often served with cured salmon. Dill mustard sauce is senap o dill sås in Swedish.
Jump to:
Why you will love this recipe
- Has a unique and delicious flavor that is both tangy, strong and sweet. If you're a fan of mustard-based sauces, you're sure to love hovmästarsås.
- Incredibly easy to make. Unlike many sauces that require cooking or baking, hovmästarsås simply requires whisking all the ingredients together. This makes it a perfect recipe for anyone who wants a quick and easy sauce that can be made in minutes.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week. This means you can make it ahead of time and have it ready to go whenever you need it. This can be a real time-saver if you're hosting a party or cooking for a large group of people.
- Budget-friendly sauce. It's made with simple, inexpensive ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. This means you can enjoy a delicious, gourmet sauce without breaking the bank.
- A versatile sauce that can be used in a variety of ways.
A bit history
At finer restaurants, the hovmästarsås was traditionally made by the head waiter at the guest's table, hence the name "hovmästarsås."
The head waiter would have a cart with all the necessary ingredients and would make it so everybody could watch (as an entertaining show). Nowadays, you won't find it made anymore by waitresses.
One famous Swedish head waiter was Tore Wretman. He made the Toast Skagen famous, and also the Swedish buffet. His trick with hovästarsås was to mix and massage dill with sugar first. This brings out the flavor of the dill even more, and the sauce becomes magical.
Modern chefs have made their own variations. For example, the famous chef Leif Mannerströms recipe includes a bit of Japanese soy sauce and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
Ingredients
- Dill- the recipe definitely needs fresh dill. If you don't have fresh, you can use dried dill, but it won't taste the same.
- Sweet, strong mustard- A Swedish-style sweet mustard is great for this recipe. For example, Johnnys sötstark senap or the Finnish kotisinappi. A course mustard gives a different texture and taste, but feel free to experiment what you like.
- Oil. A mild oil is best, like rapeseed oil.
- Sugar. It can be replaced with honey.
- White wine vinegar. You can replace this with other types of vinegar like apple cider vinegar. Even the sweeter sushi vinegar is ok to use but gives a less tangy taste.
- White pepper. It can be replaced with other types of pepper, like black pepper.
- Salt
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and white pepper.
- Slowly pour in the oil, constantly whisking until the mixture is well combined and smooth. A hand whisk is ok to use; you can also make it in a high mixing pitcher and hand blender.
- Stir in the finely chopped dill.
- Serve immediately or make ahead and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. A mason jar is perfect for storing.
Tips
- When whisking in the oil, take the time to drizzle it into the bowl slowly as you constantly whisk the mixture with your other hand. This will help the sauce emulsify and will keep the sauce from breaking.
- Salt and pepper to taste! Make sure to try the sauce after you've combined all of the ingredients to see if it needs salt and pepper. Mustard is a strong ingredient on its own so you may not need as much as you think.
- If you prepare the sauce ahead and it separates in the refrigerator, simply re-whisk everything together and serve.
What to serve with
- Cured Salmon, gravlax.
- Smoked salmon
- Baked salmon
- New cooked potatoes
- Pickled herring
- As a salad dressing, especially if you make a smoked salmon salad
- With rice salad that has some seafood in it.
- On roasted veggies-especially root vegetables
- Carrot lox. Or with cured beetroot "lox".
- In a sandwich
This sauce is delicious to serve with small cooked new potatoes. It makes also a nice salad dressing, especially if you have some seafood in the salad. If you make a rice salad with salmon, this sauce is
Storage
Mustard dill sauce with fresh dill stored for up to one week in the fridge in an airtight jar. If you use dried herbs, the sauce can store for up to 2-3 weeks.
Give the sauce a shake before serving.
FAQ
Take a clean bowl. Whisk oil slowly drizzling with some mustard until it emulsifies. Then you can slowly pour in the split sauce into the new emulsion while continuing to whisk.
Dill mustard sauce has a tangy, savory flavor with some sweetness. The dill gives it a slightly herbal taste and aroma, while the mustard provides a slight spiciness and acidity.
Yes this is very much like Ikea sweet savory mustard dill sauce.
No, it tastes very different to sweet Swedish mustard. Use Dijon mustard instead.
Swedish dill mustard sauce
Equipment
- Hand whisk and bowl
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sweet mustard (sötstark senap)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup rapeseed oil (same as canola oil)
- ½ cup fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and white pepper.
- Slowly pour in the oil, constantly whisking until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
- Stir in the finely chopped dill.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as necessary. You may want to add more salt or sugar, depending on your personal taste.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
- Sweet mustard-dijon mustard
- White wine vinegar- apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- White pepper-black pepper
- Rapeseed oil-olive oil
- Sugar-honey
- Fresh dill-dried dill
Leave a Reply