Throwback sauce is a popular condiment in the Deep South of the United States, made with mayonnaise, chili sauce, and ketchup, with variations including onions, garlic, and hot sauce. It is served with seafood, vegetables, and meats, and is a favorite in Cajun country. The recipe originated in a Greek restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1930s and has since spread with local variations.
Throwback sauce is a condiment or dipping sauce popular in the Deep South of the United States, although variations can be found nationwide. It was described as a blend of remoulade and Thousand Island sauce, with a hint of tartar sauce. Most recipes, however, don’t call for any of these ingredients, even though they call for various components. It is served as a condiment for seafood and other appetizers, a dip for vegetables, a side dish for meats, and other complementary roles.
The three essential ingredients of throwback sauce are two parts mayonnaise to one part chili sauce and ketchup. However, few recipes stop there. Onions and garlic are prominent in most formulations, and celery is occasionally found in recipes outside of the South. Any other solid ingredients are rare in making return sauce. Other flavorings added to throwback sauce include hot sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt in moderation, and large amounts of black pepper.
Some cooks make return sauce by whisking the ingredients together in a bowl. Others combine the ingredients in a blender and blend until the sauce is very smooth. Everyone refrigerates the sauce for at least a few hours and preferably overnight to let the flavors blend before serving.
Many Southern restaurants, when serving a meal, routinely provide a squeezed bottle of chilled-back salsa along with ketchup, mustard, and other condiments. Others will just serve it with a spoon or scoop on certain dishes, unless specifically requested by the diner. It is a favorite with roast beef, hot dogs and hamburgers, and as a dip for fried vegetables such as french fries or refried green beans.
While throwback sauce is enjoyed with almost any food, existing traditions actually limit its use. For example, tartar sauce is such a favorite with seafood in much of the United States that it’s doubtful it would ever be replaced by the returning sauce, though it’s a favorite in all of Cajun country. Likewise, ketchup is an unquestioned favorite as a dipping sauce for French fries in most parts of the country.
The house recipes for throwback sauce are featured in many New Orleans restaurants and are recognized as fantastic. However, the consensus is that it was invented in a Greek restaurant in the 1930s in Jackson, Mississippi, and spread throughout the region from there. As it spread, as is often the case with iconic foods, small variations were made to the recipe to suit local tastes, and even the name underwent some changes. Whether it’s farro, kumback, or return, Mississippians love their special sauce and insist that its name reflects their state, a place so beautiful and charming that everyone who visits invariably wants to return.
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