Fresh summer sauces contain raw ingredients. They are simple to prepare and require no heating during the warm weather. Summer sauces exist in many cuisines. In France they have pistou and Italy is famous for its pesto. The salsas in Mexico are often so fiery they have to be served in the smallest portions. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern sauces are generally loaded with garlic and thickened with bread or nuts.

For fresh summer sauces, it is important to use the best produce quality possible since they will give you the most flavor. Chopping unleashes the flavor from the fresh ingredients. An example is the tomato. The more you chop tomatoes the more juice you have to work with in the sauce.

When making sauces be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature when you begin the sauce. There is no need to refrigerate the sauce when you are done unless it will be several hours until you serve. Fresh summer sauces can be served over toasted bread, pasta or with warm chicken, beef or grilled seafood.