Whats that White Sauce for Fish?

Thargor

I remember in a hotel I washed dishes in as a kid they made this white sauce for the fish on the carvery counter, it was just powder from a tub and boiling water, Ive had it in a couple of canteens in random places since then aswell and Im trying to track it down, it really is the most delicious sauce Ive ever tasted, its really simple, I dont know how to describe it as I kind of suck at cooking, it looks like thick white paint, no herbs or anything in it, the taste is creamy and sweet, definitely not salty, its almost tasteless but at the same time unbelievably delicious, subtle I suppose you could call it, it only works with fish aswell, on any other meat it would be disgusting.

I know its definitely not parsley sauce, Ive bought all brands of that and its not it, there are jars of white sauce on shelves but they seem to be lasagne related, Im going to try them anyway and see, today I tried this:



And it was the most vile thing I ever tasted, like a few spoons of salt mixed with a banana and boiling water

Does anyone have a clue what Im on about? Im looking for the instant stuff so no complex recipes please. Thanks.

Eviledna

From your description it sounds like hollandaise sauce, white, creamy, no herbs...
Schwartz do an instant packet that you is ready to heat.

Hope that helps.

Thargor

That could be it alright, will check it out, thanks Openbake.

sleepy7475

or tartar sauce....its made just for fish

Sparks

A thick white sauce used in cheap canteens? Probably just a plain roux sauce. Melt butter in the pan, add flour until you get a kind of thick off-white/yellowish paste - no flour or liquid butter left in the pan and the colour depends on the butter you used - and then add milk until it hits the consistency you desire. Very basic, fairly dull. If you let the butter/flour paste cook for a while, you'll get more taste, but a thinner sauce (it'll go from off-white through to a dull brick colour, then black and burnt if you're not careful ).

Thargor

Nah definitely not tartar, this is a warm sauce and its not vinegary or mayonaise based at all.

Thargor

Sparks wrote: »

A thick white sauce used in cheap canteens? Probably just a plain roux sauce. Melt butter in the pan, add flour until you get a kind of thick off-white/yellowish paste - no flour or liquid butter left in the pan and the colour depends on the butter you used - and then add milk until it hits the consistency you desire. Very basic, fairly dull. If you let the butter/flour paste cook for a while, you'll get more taste, but a thinner sauce (it'll go from off-white through to a dull brick colour, then black and burnt if you're not careful ).

Even that is too much hassle for me

If I try to make a sauce on top of a dinner Ill end up burning everything, has to be instant. This is the best instant gravy I reckon, its nearly as good as homemade stuff:

Sparks

Thargor wrote: »

Even that is too much hassle for me

Wow. I mean, eating the stuff is almost more work than making it

Toto Wolfcastle

Sparks wrote: »

Wow. I mean, eating the stuff is almost more work than making it

I love it! I drown potatoes in it.

My sister is worse though. She eats it from the pot with a spoon.

OP, I reckon Sparks is right. If you want to go the easy route, you can get white sauce granules in a tub or in a packet. I think they taste fairly gross but it sounds like it's what you are looking for. It should be next to the parsley sauce you had in your post.

Thargor

So in the end after several trials I found it, its Erin White Sauce which I should have tried first I suppose, just add a drop of milk and stir it until it starts boiling, makes lovely fish sauce, every other kind was just salty slimewater, this turns Donegal Catch into perfection.

Crappy phone pic: