Is Aioli the Greatest Sauce Recipe Ever?
As I watched Iron Chef Michael Symon whisk together a simple aioli during his pork demo I attended in Aspen, I was thinking, what savory ingredient (besides cheese) isn't great with aioli?
I couldn’t come up with anything. Whether you're talking about meats, vegetables, starches, or breads – everything tastes great with aioli.
I've done a few versions of aioli on the site before, but never a minimalist, special equipment-free recipe like this. Of course, a true aioli is made with a mortar and pestle, but not everyone has one, and sure you can use a blender, but is there anything more annoying to clean (besides a garlic press as the Iron Chef pointed out during his demo)?
Do yourself a huge favor and take 10 minutes this week to make a little ramekin of this aioli. Then, start spreading and dipping your way up and down the food pyramid. You will discover you can turn a turkey sandwich into a [expletive deleted] great turkey sandwich, a roasted potato becomes the highlight of your day, and a carrot stick is transformed into an incredibly effective endorphin delivery system.
By the way, I'll warn you in advance that I won't spend time answering comments and questions about using raw egg yolks. I've covering that in several other posts, including my homemade mayo video recipe. If you are concerned, google the subject and you'll get millions of pages on the subject.
Rachael Ray has a better chance of winning a James Beard Chef of the Year award than you have getting sick from making this recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 clove garlic
kosher salt
1 egg yolk
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
42 comments:
Just one more reason why having a lemon tree in my backyard is so great!
Thanks! This sounds real good and simple too ;-)
Hi Chef. I've done something similar before with roasted garlic (which I didn't dare call aioli!), and using extra virgin olive oil produced a bitter taste. Why?
Nice! Is this like a compound butter for meats? I make something similar but I use a shallots butter and EVOO its great on a steak.
That looked so easy! I'm trying that tonight :)
sorta same idea, but aioli is good on hot and cold meats
many EVOO are bitter, some very bitter. Taste the oils first to find one you like, then whisk
Garlic bread! Eeee! I detest fussing around with whisks and sauces, even something as easy as this looks, but I will go through it just for the possibility of garlic bread.
You enabler.
Thank you SO much for this, Chef! This is perfect for me who is without any kitchen appliances more sofisticated than a wire whisk.
A couple of questions:
1) Do you have a favourite, or can you recommend a particular kind of EVOO for this recipe?
2) Could you tell the difference if bottled lemon juice was used instead of fresh?
3) What do you do with the leftover egg white?
Thanks again!
1) Do you have a favourite, or can you recommend a particular kind of EVOO for this recipe? No, I use a variety, local here, also Costco tuscan which is very cheap and tasty
2) Could you tell the difference if bottled lemon juice was used instead of fresh? not sure, too subjective, but why use a bottle?
3) What do you do with the leftover egg white? i tossed it since it was just one.
"Rachael Ray has a better chance of winning a James Beard Chef of the Year award than you have getting sick from making this recipe."
Just one more tid-bit of the Chef John brilliance.
Hi from Spain,
The name we use for this sauce is Alioli... I don't know if the name you used is a kind of translation or from another country.
Anyway, thanks for the blog and the recipes ;)
I make this all the time here in Madrid. Like you said Chef, it goes with everything, but is especially nice with Paella.
And as for bitter EVOO, I think it is more of a peppery thing than bitter and I love it. The best stuff will nearly close off my windpipe.
Next time my folks come out to visit I'll send them home with a selection of Spanish olive oil varieties for them to ship to you once back in the States.
How do you get the garlic smell out of your board?
Thanks!!
yes, peppery is good, but beyond peppery, many EVOOs have a bitter finish that turns some off.
@Vincent -- if you are doing this in the blender, the blades can efficiently distribute the polyphenols in the emulsion, which causes a bitter taste. Check out the technicalities here: http://summertomato.com/the-bitter-truth-about-olive-oil/ Doing the emulsion by hand prevents this from happening.
You. Are. God. Thanks so much for this.
looking forward to the onion bread :D
hope you get it up on the blog till sunday.. my parents are coming over for brunch :X
Thanks for the recipe! I plan to grill salmon and serve it with aioli. So excited!
I just made this, put it on a turkey sandwich and . . . mmmmmm . . . I'm leaking garlic out of my skin already.
Oh, that part in the video about "just do the first tablespoon a couple drops at a time." . . . really, really important.
Hi, Chef -- what's the best way to keep olive oil? Should it ever be refrigerated? How long can you keep it at room temperature?
Hey Chef,
We're having a pretty decent heat wave here in the SF bay area (it's 105 degrees in Marin) and I'm having trouble emulsifying the aioli. I've been using the same method you suggested and am curious if you think the heat has something to do with it?
I put it in the fridge for an hour and will try at it again when it's cooler. Would flour or corn starch help at all?
Thx
don't think temp matters. NEVER add starch to an aioli. You would be banned from the site for life.
The only reason an aioli doesn't work is if the oil goes in too fast at the start. Yes, to be safe use a cold egg yolk, but just dip dip dip the first couple tablespoon until it starts to emulsify. Good luck!
btw, what did you put in the fridge? A broken aioli? You can't use whip it back together. You can however, add it into a non-broken aioli once you have one.
Tried it again and it worked this time. Thanks
sweet!
Thanks, Chef John...Another great recipe from you. Love it!!!
@Cindy, I've actually come across that article before. I whisked by hand, but thank you for the resource.
@Chef John: I think I used this delicious, very green EVOO from Trader Joe's. Comes in a dark (almost black) square bottle for like five bucks. I don't think it's bitter by itself, but I could be wrong.
Anyway. I suppose this is another excuse to keep tasting different oils. Thanks for the tip!
Hi Chef John, Love your site. Question: Can you is the same method that you used for the mayo?
Thanks.
yes, just leave out the garlic
Just as you said ~ this was a tasty addition to my cooking arsenal [can't remember how to spell the "R" word], however, you won't see me making this again. Once long ago I saw someone make mayonnaise and I declared I wouldn't do it 'cause it looked like too much work. Well, I shudda known it, 'cause Chef John makes everything he does look easy, so I went ahead with the Aioli. As I was part-way through I suddenly realized that, "Hey, I'm making a garlicky mayonnaise!" as my arm began to die!!! Now I'm the proud owner of the first and last dish of self-made Aioli! Guess I can't be a true chef. Ah, well, there's only one Chef John . . .
what?! it only takes a couple minutes of whisking! you better get to the gym.
Oooh, ya got me there. In defense of my honor (I gots some ya know), it took me longer than it did you, I think, 'cause I couldn't do the "streaming in the olive oil" after the first few drops even with the wet towel assisting. So I pretty much added it in by "bunches" of drops as I went along. Can I get off the Wimp List now?
okay, you're off
The recipe seems simple enough, but I had to throw out two batches before I got it right. Patience is key! I was a little too hasty with the olive oil. Anywho, super-yummy sauce for an extreme garlic lover like me. I used it in a sandwich. Sooooooooo good! Can't wait to have some with fries...
congrats! now you have it down
John,
Allioli is of Catalan (Spanish) origin. The original recipe only contains garlic, olive oil and salt (egg is usually added to prevent the mix from breaking apart). It takes a lot of skill and practice to maker allioli without egg yolk.
Btw, mayonnaise, another popular sauce is also of Spanish (Menorca) origin.
Anyways, I love your site and recipes!
can i substitute a vegetable oil for the olive oil?
sure!
this was good and i can't stand mayo from the jar.
i don't really understand the subtlties of italian food. is there a reason i can't use an electric mixer for this?
go ahead, but some say the violence of the machine bruises the olive oil and makes it bitter.
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