What Is Shallot puree and How Can I Use It?
Here's everything worth knowing about shallot puree and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 5 recipes to cook tonight.
Key Points
- A prep form of shallots: cooked soft and blended into a smooth, concentrated paste.
- Adds body and even shallot depth to sauces where chopped pieces would feel out of place.
- Sweat low and slow; browned shallots turn the puree bitter, so never let them color.
- Swap finely minced cooked shallot, or pureed sweet onion using a lighter hand.
- Refrigerate under a film of oil for 3 to 4 days, or freeze in cubes.
What is shallot puree?
Shallot puree is simply shallots cooked down soft and blended smooth. It is a prep form, not a separate vegetable.
Gently sweating the shallots in butter before pureeing pulls out their sweet, mellow side and drops the raw pungency. The result is a silky paste that dissolves into a sauce without leaving any bits, which is exactly why cooks reach for it over chopped shallot in a smooth reduction.
How to Use Shallot Puree
Its main job is body and savory depth in sauces, where whole pieces would feel out of place. Stir a spoonful into a pan sauce, a vinaigrette, or a cream reduction and it thickens slightly while folding shallot flavor through evenly.
It earns its keep in classic reductions like this Red Wine Sauce, and rounds out richer dishes such as Amazing Pasta with Cream Truffle Sauce & Fresh Mushrooms or Baby Salmon Stuffed with Caviar.
The common error is rushing the cook. Browned shallots turn the puree bitter, so keep the heat low and let them go soft before blending.
Substitutes
The easiest stand-in is finely minced cooked shallot, softened the same way; you lose the smoothness but keep the flavor. For a true paste in a hurry, blend sauteed shallots with a splash of their cooking liquid.
Pureed sweet onion or a roasted garlic-and-onion mash works when shallots are scarce. Onion reads sharper and garlic reads stronger, so use a lighter hand.
Buying & Storage
You will rarely buy this premade. Make it from fresh shallots, choosing firm bulbs with dry, papery skins and no green sprouts, since sprouted shallots taste harsh even after cooking.
Keep the finished puree in a sealed jar in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, with a thin film of oil on top to slow oxidation.
For longer storage, freeze it in an ice-cube tray.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 葱酱
- British (UK) term
- Shallot puree
- en français
- échalote purée
- en español
- puré de chalota
Recipes using shallot puree
There are 5 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Baby Salmon Stuffed with Caviar I (Red Wine Sauce)
Classic French red wine sauce for salmon made with fish stock, mirepoix, shallots, and multiple reductions. This elegant sauce from a master chef requires precision and patience.
Baby Salmon Stuffed with Caviar
Baby salmon stuffed with caviar, a restaurant-style dish where a whole baby salmon is filled with salmon mousse and a line of caviar, baked in white wine, and plated with two sauces. An elegant seafood showpiece.
Red Wine Sauce
Red wine sauce for salmon built from salmon bones, cognac, mirepoix, and shallot puree with a double-reduction technique. A restaurant-quality fish sauce with rich, concentrated flavor.
Amazing Pasta with Cream Truffle Sauce & Fresh Mushrooms
Amazing Pasta with Cream Truffle Sauce and Fresh Mushrooms recipe
