Mustard Free Maître d' Butter
Compound butter is one of those old-school French techniques that makes any home cook feel like a proper chef, and this version is as elegant as it is simple. Bright parsley, fresh lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice are folded into creamy unsalted butter, creating something that transforms a plain grilled steak or roasted vegetables into a restaurant-worthy plate. For anyone navigating mustard sensitivities, classic compound butters can be a minefield — many restaurant versions sneak in Dijon or whole-grain mustard for tang. This recipe gets all that brightness from lemon instead, so you get the same luxurious, herbaceous finish without any of the worry. Rolling the butter into a log and chilling it means you always have a few elegant slices ready to go, melting on contact with anything hot off the grill. It keeps beautifully in the fridge and is just as useful on a weeknight piece of salmon as it is on a celebratory ribeye.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and beat with a fork or hand mixer until smooth and evenly creamy, about 1 minute.
- 2
Add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Mix until the herbs and seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the butter with no streaks remaining.
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