Egg Lemon Sauce (Greek Avgolemono)

Avgolemono (Egg-Lemon Sauce) is a delicious Greek sauce which is widely used in a variety of Greek dishes, from meatball soup, chicken soup, to greek-style fricassee, stuffed cabbage rolls and the list goes on. Egg-lemon sauce is the secret ingredient to finish of all these Greek dishes, as it acts as a thickening agent, giving a unique taste, creamy texture and a nice, tangy homey flavour to them.

warm stock or broth
2-3 lemons, freshly juiced
2-3 eggs
1 tsp. corn starch (for the easy version)

Some tips for the perfect egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono):
Once start to prepare this Avgolemono recipe make sure that the eggs are at room temperature, so that they are not shocked and curdle from the hot broth.

The stock or soup should be warm but not boiling hot. When you are done cooking your stock or soup remove the pan from the stove and let it cool for 5-10 minutes or add ½ cup cold water to halt the boiling process.

You need to add enough broth so that the egg mixture is at the same temperature as the broth of dish you are preparing.

The egg whites are more likely to curdle, as they tend to thicken up more quickly than the egg yolks when warmed so be sure to whisk vigorously and add the broth slowly.

The traditional Greek egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono):
To prepare the classic Avgolemono recipe, start by cracking the eggs into a bowl and whisk well. Gradually add the lemon juice and whisk again to combine. Add a little of the warm stock or soup and whisk quickly, add more and whisk again. The reason for slowly adding the broth is to gradually warm up the eggs so you don’t end up with an omelette instead of a sauce. Pour gradually the egg mixture back into the pot, whilst constantly stirring and bring just below boiling point. Remove the pan from the stove and serve.

An easy Avgolemono recipe (egg-lemon sauce) for beginners:
If you haven’t tried making an Avgolemono recipe before, I have a little trick for you that will make your egg-lemon sauce impossible to fail. You will need the same ingredients as in the basic Avgolemono recipe with the addition of 1 tsp. of corn strarch. Into a bowl add the lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. water, add the corn starch and whisk well until dissolved. Crack in the eggs and whisk very well. Add slowly some of the warm stock or soup and whisk quickly, add some more and whisk again so that the eggs warm up. Then pour gradually the egg mixture back into the pot, whilst constantly stirring and bring just below boiling point.

This is the technique I use most of the time when making a Greek egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono). It may take a little longer to prepare but it results in a creamier version of the sauce which is well worth the trouble. Start off by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and gradually add the lemon juice whist whisking until combined. In another bowl add the egg whites and whisk using a hand mixer until the egg whites are foamy and thick. While whisking slowly add the yolk mixture in the egg whites. Continue whisking for 1-2 minutes and gradually add some of the hot broth, a litte bit at a time. Make sure you add the broth slowly or the egg whites will curdle! When done, pour the mixture back into the pot, stir well and leave for 5-10 minutes.

Preparing an egg-lemon sauce (Avgolemono) from soups that contain pieces of meat:
If the dish you are preparing is not a soup and contains pieces of meat, in order to achieve the very best texture on your Avgolemono sauce, you should separate the meat from the broth, strain the broth and place in a separate pan. Then prepare the egg lemon sauce in another pan and combine with the meat at the end.

Serving with some crusty bread and digging into that delicious sauce is one of the reasons why I love this egg-lemon sauce! So don’t forget to get yourself some rustic, crusty bread and enjoy an amazingly tasty experience.

Makes 2-4 servings.