Description
Create a restaurant-quality lemon butter sauce with this easy recipe, perfect for finishing fish, chicken, or vegetables. Learn Gordon Ramsay’s technique for a smooth, glossy sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 120 g unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm cubes
- 80 ml dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
- 30 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 small shallot, minced
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Pinch white pepper
- Optional: 1 Tbsp chopped parsley or dill for colour
Instructions
- Reduce the base: In a small saucepan, combine the wine and minced shallot. Boil until the liquid reduces to about 2 Tbsp.
- Whisk in cold butter: Take the pan off the heat. Add 2–3 butter cubes and whisk until creamy.
- Incorporate butter gradually: Return the pan to low heat, adding more butter cubes gradually until all butter is incorporated and the sauce is glossy. This is key to the Gordon Ramsay lemon butter sauce.
- Season and brighten: Whisk in the lemon zest, salt, and white pepper. Taste and add lemon juice a splash at a time until the flavor pops.
- Finish: Stir in herbs if using and spoon immediately over your chosen dish.
Notes
- Keep the heat below a gentle simmer once the butter is in; higher heat will break the emulsion.
- If the sauce looks oily, whisk in 1 tsp cold water to bring it back together.
- Use unsalted butter to control the seasoning; taste before adding extra salt.
- For a Lemon-Caper variation, add 1 Tbsp drained capers with the zest.
- For a Garlic-Lemon variation, sauté 1 minced garlic clove in the wine reduction for 30 seconds before adding butter.
- For a Dill-Tarragon variation, swap parsley for equal parts dill and tarragon.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Pan Sauce
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Tbsp
- Calories: Approximately 50-60 kcal per serving (varies based on butter content)
- Sugar: Less than 1g
- Sodium: Approximately 20-30 mg
- Fat: Approximately 6g
- Saturated Fat: Approximately 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: Approximately 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: Less than 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: Less than 1g
- Cholesterol: Approximately 15-20 mg
Keywords: Gordon Ramsay Lemon Butter, Gordon Ramsay lemon butter sauce, Gordon Ramsay lemon butter recipe, lemon butter sauce, chef Ramsay lemon butter