Remoulade — The Sauce That Knows Where It Comes From

May 2021. Spring in Memphis, and I am 62, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 37 years of marriage.

Smoked turkey wings this week — big, meaty, brined and rubbed and smoked at 275 for three hours until the skin crackled and the meat pulled clean. Turkey wings are the working class of BBQ: cheap, underrated, and transformed by smoke into something extraordinary. Uncle Clyde served them on Fridays at his stand, and I serve them on Saturdays in my backyard, and the tradition bridges the gap between then and now.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I sat in my pew and let the music hold me. The bass notes I used to add are quieter now — my voice is aging, the way everything ages — but the listening is its own participation, and the church holds me the way the church has held this community for a hundred years: faithfully, unconditionally, with room for everyone who shows up. I show up. That is enough.

The turkey wings were Saturday’s story, but Sunday’s quiet got me thinking about the catfish Uncle Clyde used to blacken on that cast iron skillet — and how a proper remoulade was always the thing that made it sing. There’s something fitting about a sauce that asks you to slow down and build it right, layer by layer, the way patience builds anything worth having. At 62, I’ve learned that the condiment is never an afterthought; it’s the thing that ties the whole meal to the place it came from.

Remoulade

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Creole or whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the base. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth and fully incorporated.
2. Add the aromatics. Stir in the minced garlic, celery, green onion, and parsley, folding gently so the vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
3. Season. Add the smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and taste, adjusting heat or acidity as needed — the sauce should have a little bite and a little brightness.
4. Rest the sauce. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. The flavors deepen and come together as it sits — do not skip this step.
5. Serve. Spoon generously alongside blackened catfish, fried shrimp, crab cakes, or use as a bold sandwich spread. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 195 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 310mg