Secret Sauces: Over 65 Fresh & Flavorful Sauces with Recipe Pairings

 Overall Ranking: 2) Solid Swallow

Secret Sauces: Over 65 Fresh & Flavorful Sauces with Recipe Pairings by Vanessa Seder, originally published 2017 and reissued 2025, Kyle Books

Who Wrote This and Why Should I Care?

Vanessa Seder is a culinary powerhouse with over 20 years of experience as a chef instructor, food stylist, and recipe developer. 

Armed with a degree from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE, not to be confused with the truly evil ICE plaguing America's citizens) in New York City, Vanessa spent years honing her craft behind the scenes. She was a prolific recipe developer for major publications like Real Simple, Cooking Light, and Health, and even served as an Associate Food Editor at Ladies Home Journal.

She channeled that deep industry knowledge into several award-winning cookbooks, including Warm Your Bones, and Eat Cool. Most notably, she is the author of Secret Sauces (the book we're diving into today!), a global success that has been translated for readers in Spanish, Italian, and Russian.

Beyond the page, Vanessa loves sharing her skills directly. She spent many years teaching culinary classes as a guest instructor at the Stonewall Kitchen Headquarters and has appeared on television shows like The Hallmark Channel's Home and Family and various popular food podcasts, bringing her expertise to kitchens everywhere.

Today, Vanessa lives and cooks with her family in Portland, Maine, and she continues to engage with the food world online at vanessaseder.com, on Instagram @vanessa_seder_eats or anywhere she has in her Linktree.

Before you start cooking/baking

Special There May be Several Different Iterations

Vanessa Seder's Instagram post announcing
the 2025 reissue and UK retitle

If you google the "Secret Sauces by Vanessa Seder" it can get really confusing so some things will need clarifying. Secret Sauces is Seder's first cookbook which was published in 2017. It has a bit of a dated look to it, so in early 2025 it was reissued with an updated design and layout. A great choice if I say so because I am a big fan of their design choices, but more on that later. 

To add to that, it isn't known as 'Secret Sauces' everywhere. In the United Kingdom its being sold under the title “Sauces of Inspiration: Hundreds of Ideas for Elevating Everyday Dishes". So if you are reading this from the comfort of good ol' England you now know what you're looking for. 

Special Equipment Needed

The craziest thing you'll be asked to use is a micro-plane, but if you have one of those square cheese graters with four different grits you'll be just fine. Everything is very approachable, sensible, and achievable for nearly every kitchen. 

Recipe Breakdown

I love me a non-traditional layout and organization, especially when it works -- and it works very well in Secret Sauces.  

The whole book is teeny. If you went to high-five, it your hand would cover about 75% of the cover. But don't let it fool you. While you went to high five it, secret sauces decided to bawl into a fist and hit you in the gut with its sheer volume of recipes, combos and recommendations. 

167 pages
97 total sauces 
57 dish pairings
314 ways to use the sauces

12% Creamy, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 39 ways to use the sauces
12% Tangy 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 39 ways to use the sauces
12% Herby, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 39 ways to use the sauces
12% Fruity, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 39 ways to use the sauces
12% Nutty, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 38 ways to use the sauces
14% Spicy, 13 sauces + 8 dish pairings + 44 ways to use the sauces
12% Chunky, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 39 ways to use the sauces
12% Confectionery, 12 sauces + 7 dish pairings + 37 ways to use the sauces

Why I Love it/Like It/Pass on It/Avoid It: 

Move aside béchamel and wine reductions, there's a world of sauces out there just waiting for us! 

I want to begin by pointing out the layout. Turn to pretty much any part in the book and you will see the same format. The page on the left is where we see the sauce, its recipe, and a small excerpt about it from Seder. Your typical expectation for a recipe in nearly every cookbook currently in circulation. Then, nestled beneath the sauce recipe is a section labeled "Extra Credit" that include one or two sentence suggestions for alternative uses and ways to repurpose the sauces like: 

 'Toss the leftovers with wild rice and fresh torn basil for a quick side dish' 

or

'Baste pork tenderloin with this sauce while gilling. Slice it against the grain and spoon more sauce over the top. Server with rice and sauteed mangetout'

There are 314 extra credit ideas/recipes, which equates to about 4 recommended ways of using a sauce per sauce. And from what I can tell, not single one is duplicated. I love that instead of just handing us the ropes to a tasty new sauce and sending us out the door Seder shows the versatility and robustness of her sauces by showing various ways of putting them to use. You don't have to be creative to immediately try them in different environments. You can make a large batch of the sauce and have 4-5 meals lined up to be smothered, rolled or baked in. 

And then there is whole other page on the right. If the extra credit section wasn't enough to inspire you on how to use the sauce, then Seder has included an entire recipe for an ideal dish to pair that sauce with. And they're not difficult or time consuming.

For example, when I was flipping through for the first time the Charred Poblano and Tomatillo Mojo immediately jumped out at me. I'm a sucker for a tomatillo. But how to try it? Well, with the Crispy Smashed Plantains recipe sitting right next to it of course. It sounds silly, but it feels so obvious, and its supposed to be obvious but you also feel smart making the recipe that the author recommends making to go with their other recipe. But I digress.

Every pairing I had was great. Not once was I disappointed or thought, man it would have gone better with something else instead. Once you've done the initial pairing (which isn't required to do, you can do whatever you want) that extra credit section begins to look even more appetizing and your confidence in the sauce jumps up and you're ready to start using it. Plus, nothing I've tried had been difficult or taken that long to make. Vanessa set out to make accessible and quick recipes that still punched you in the mouth with flavor and delivered that again and again. 

The dishes are not one trick ponies either. You'll try sauces that are herby, spicy, nutty, chunky, thin, punchy, soft and thick on fish, chicken, salads, rubbed on beef, basted on pork, melded with fruit drizzled on ice-cream and shoved in rice while tasting Cuban, Asian, American and Korean influences. You will run the gamut if you were to attempt to cook everything.

In short, I believe that this is Solid Swallow ranked cookbook. I am giving it such a high ranking for many reasons. 

1. One of the consistency of its page layouts, (shoutout to my favorite section, spicy, for getting extra love), 
2. I appreciate there being a single, more in-depth recipe on what to pair the sauces with to get in the head of Seder and understand how she envisions is best for the sauce to be consumed on/with. 
3. I feel that she shows a lot of great respect for the reader with her extra credit sections. I believe that she views us as capable home cooks and is happy to nudge us in varying ways of how we could potentially use the sauces. 
4. The variety is incredible. There is something for everyone to enjoy and something for everyone to discover. 
5. The in-depth recipes are accessible and quick to prepare without sacrificing any depth of flavor. An impressive feat. 
   

If you see this on a shelf somewhere and want to expand your sauce pallet, I can't imagine that there is a better sauce focused cookbook to do it with. 

Recipes I tried from "Secret Sauces" and what I thought about them

Crispy Smashed Plantains (aka Cuban Tostones)

This recipe from Secret Sauces by Vanessa Seder uses a Caribbean/Cuban double frying technique. The first fry softens, the smash flattens, and the second fry locks in that golden crisp. Perfect for dipping into a charred poblano and tomatillo mojo/sala which I'll be sharing in a later video or just eating straight off the tray.

Ingredients 🍌
3 green plantains
2 cups of seed or vegetable oil 

Directions 📜
1. Prep the Plantains
- Cut the ends off 3 green plantains. 
- Make a vertical slit down each one and peel carefully. 
- Slice into 1-inch thick rounds.

2. First Fry
- Pour 1 inch of rapeseed oil into a deep frying pan. 
- Heat over medium-high until it reaches 360°F (182°C). 
- Fry plantains in batches for about 4 minutes, flipping halfway, until lightly golden. 
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray. Turn off the heat.

3. Smash & Second Fry
- Use a heavy spatula or meat mallet to flatten each round to about ¼ inch thick. 
- Reheat oil to 360°F. 
- Fry smashed plantains again in batches for 4 minutes, until dark golden and crisp.

4. Finish & Serve
- Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. 
- Serve hot with charred poblano and tomatillo mojo.

Charred Poblano and Tomatillo Mojo

I am not entirely sure on the pronunciation here. Mojo" (pronounced moe joe) in the USA is of a sort of magic, which as far as I am aware is inedible, so that's unlikely the pronunciation. It could be the Cuban Spanish mojo (moe hoe) which means sauce, but there are other Spanish dialects where the word might be closer associated with salsa.

And seeing as this 'lovable mutt of a recipe incorporates elements of Mexican, Caribbean and Southwestern cooking it genuinely could be any of them, so I will simply refer to it as a green sauce. 

For a sauce with such complexity (sweet, tart, spicy, creamy, salty all in one!) it is relatively simple to make and is very flexible. For instance, Seder says that if you want more creaminess, stir in some soured cream. My instinct is to use this sauce on tacos, but don't let that stop you from experimenting with other options such as using it as a dip for fried smashed plantain (see prior video).

Here is the full recipe for Charred Poblano and Tomatillo Mojo from Secret Sauces by Vanessa Seder

Ingredients 🍅
Makes about 750ml (1 1/3 pints)
2 poblano peppers
4 medium tomatillos, husks peeled
1 medium white onion, peeled andcut into quarters
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
20g (oz) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
Sea salt

Directions 📜
1. Char the Veggies
- Preheat your grill or oven broiler to high. 
- Toss poblanos, tomatillos, onion, and garlic in oil. 
- Spread on a baking sheet and grill/broil for 8–10 minutes, turning occasionally, until blistered all over.

2. Steam & Prep the Poblanos
- Transfer just the poblanos to a bowl. 
- Cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes. 
- Peel off the skins, remove seeds, and set aside.

3. Blend the Mojo
- In a food processor, add: 
  - Peeled poblanos 
  - Charred tomatillos, onion, and garlic 
  - 1 ripe avocado 
- Pulse until smooth. 
- Add lime juice, chopped coriander (cilantro), and salt to taste. 
- Pulse again to combine.

4. Store
- Transfer to an airtight container. 
- Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Xanadu Pepper Dream aka Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Inspired by the sticky Thai sweet chili red sauce from Southeast Asian markets, this version skips all the preservatives and ramps up the brightness with fresh peppers. 

I’m genuinely impressed by how it captures the familiar flavor we all know from the store, but somehow manages to make it taste even better. It has the signature sheen and thicker texture, but the flavor is bolder cleaner, and totally addictive. From egg rolls to crispy plantains, it’s built for anything hot, crisp, and fried. Sweet heat, built to drizzle, dip, and disappear.

Ingredients 🌶️
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Fresno or red jalapeño chilli
55g (2oz) chopped red pepper
90ml (6 tablespoons) rice vinegar
45g (12oz) sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
Sea salt

Directions 📜 

1. Chop the Veg
- Add garlic, red chili, and red bell pepper to a food processor. 
- Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides if needed.

2. Make the Base
- In a saucepan, combine: 
  - 6 tbsp water 
  - 6 tbsp rice vinegar 
  - 45g (12oz) sugar
- Bring to a boil over high heat (about 2–3 minutes).
- Stir in the chopped garlic and chili mix.
- Lower heat and simmer for 4 minutes, until garlic softens.

3. Thicken the Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together: 
  - 2 tsp water 
  - 2 tap cornflour
- Bring the sauce back to a boil. 
- Whisk in the cornflour mix and stir until thickened. 
- Keep boiling and stirring for another 2–3 minutes.

4. Finish & Store
- Season with salt to taste. 
- Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Crispy Roasted Cabbage and Bacon

It is wild what you can do with just three ingredients. Yes, I am sorry that the video shows more than three, I got carried away and ended up only shooting one shot that shows what it takes to make the sauce AND the roasted Cabbage.

It's definitely okay to slather more sauce on this than just the three tablespoons. In my opinion the most memorable bites are mostly cabbage with some charred/golden bits, at least a morsel or two of bacon for salty umami, and then a thin but continuous layer of the Xanadu Pepper Dream/Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for a teeny kick of pleasure. Those are the bites that best tickle that part of your happy brain. 

As a main this serves two people, but I think it would really shine as a fun side dish. 

Ingredients 🥓
1/2 lb or more bacon
1 green cabbage
3 Tbsps Xanadu Pepper Dream or Thai sweet chili sauce 

Directions 📜 

1. Roast the Bacon
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). 
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay out slices of bacon. 
- Roast until crispy and golden, about 18–20 minutes. 
- Transfer bacon to a cutting board and chop. 
- Leave the bacon fat on the baking sheet.

2. Roast the Cabbage
- Increase oven to 425°F (220°C). 
- Slice ½ head of green cabbage into 1-inch slices. 
- Spread on the baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and toss in the bacon fat. 
- Roast for 30–35 minutes, tossing once or twice, until browned and crisp in spots.

3. Add the Sauce
- Remove from oven and toss cabbage with 3 tablespoons of Xanadu Pepper Dream or Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Return to oven for 5 minutes, until the sauce caramelizes slightly.

4. Finish & Serve
- Add chopped bacon back to the pan and toss everything together. 
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot. 
- Serves 4.

Limey Masala Sauce

If this sauce was a Pixar movie it would be called "The Sauce That Makes Chicken Sing". It brings perfect proportions of heat, tang, and spice-layered depth that make you do a little dance, thus how it makes it sing. Don't get it? That's okay I am very tired lol.

While it can be used for anything that needs a good sauce, I think that this is fantastic as a marinade. It's got all the right ingredients for it. Yogurt tenderizes, lime brightens, and the toasted spices soak in deep. Generally, you can spoon it over rice, roasted veg, or anything that needs a flavor upgrade. Just remember though, this thing gots all the makings of a fantastic marinade. 

Ingredients 🍋‍🟩
Makes about 350g (12oz)
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
60g (2 1/4oz) chopped white onion
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon garam masala (savoury Indian spice blend)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons tomato purée
160g (5 3/4oz) crushed canned or finely chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons lime zest 115ml (3 3/4fl oz) double cream
3 tablespoons full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions 📜 

1. Build the Base
- Melt ghee in a saucepan over medium-high heat. 
- Add chopped onion and cook until golden, about 6 minutes. 
- Stir in ginger and garlic, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. 
- Add cumin, coriander, garam masala, and fenugreek seeds. Stir to coat.

2. Add the Tomato & Cream
- Stir in tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to caramelize. 
- Add canned tomatoes, lime zest, and cream. 
- Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes to develop flavor.

3. Finish the Sauce
- Stir in yogurt and lime juice. 
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
- Use right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

New Delhi-Style Chicken Legs 

This dish has got all the warm, cozy depth of a curry; spices, cream, tomato, and yogurt but with a citrusy twist that brightens every bite. Anyone who is a fan of chicken and lime will deeply enjoy this one.

Don't forget to serve it over rice to catch every drop of that tangy, spice-layered goodness. Trust me, you’ll eat this with a fork and knife, but you'll want a spoon to scoop up every drop of what's clinging to the plate.

Ingredients 🍛
4 bone-in skin-on chicken leg quarters (~2.5 lbs)
110g (4oz) full-fat Greek yogurt
All of the limey masala sauce from above
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
Basmati rice (optional but recommended)
Naan (optional but recommended)

Directions 📜 

1. Marinate the Chicken
- In a bowl, mix: 
  - 4 oz Greek yogurt 
  - 5 oz cooled Limey Masala Sauce 
  - 1 tsp cumin 
  - 1 tsp coriander 
  - 2 tsp salt 
  - 1 tsp pepper 
- Poke holes all over 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters. 
- Add chicken and marinade to a large zip-top bag. Seal and massage to coat. 
- Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. Roast the Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C), with racks in the middle and upper positions. 
- Place chicken in a 9x13-inch baking dish in a single layer. 
- Spoon the remaining Limey Masala Sauce over the chicken and coat with tongs. 
- Roast on the middle rack for about 30 minutes, until juices run clear and internal temp hits 165°F (74°C).

3. Broil & Serve
- If serving with rice start cooking the rice now!
- Move chicken to the upper rack and broil for 5 minutes until browned in spots. 
- Let rest for 10 minutes. 
- Garnish with chopped white onion and coriander. 
- Serve with basmati rice and naan, if you like.