Aioli- Sauce Variations & Ideas to Improve Almost Anything!

Aioli... people get that dreamy look on their faces when a dish is served with some fancy pants aioli. It's really just homemade mayonnaise with such awesome add ins that make it perfect for whatever you like.  Some of the recipes below were originally specific for certain dishes, but are great on lots of other things like sandwiches, egg dishes, steak, burgers and pork. Salads... how could I forget salads?  Really aioli is just like a salad dressing, just thicker- - so thin it with some water and use it up for that too if you like.

 I love the way my kids open the fridge and look into small bowls covered in plastic wrap and immediately feel the urge to create some fantastic sandwich-like creation from what's in there. They probably just dip a finger in and start thinking...   The last batch of Roasted Red Pepper Aioli was gone before I knew it because it was "discovered" and liberated by my son.

Now,  aioli is made with egg yolks that are not cooked, so if you have little kids, health compromised adults or elderly people... you can use store bought mayo and blend with the same ingredients to get a mixture safer for them.  Salmonella is a risk from uncooked eggs... but I don't worry about it too much.  You can if you want, but I'm not going to.

Most of the recipes below call for a mixture of vegetable oil and olive oil, because olive oil on it's own can be very strong. You may even prefer all vegetable or canola oil. It really is a personal opinion on what tastes best, and maybe the combination of oils changes with what you are making?

Lemon Aioli (lime or orange too!)
Makes about 1 cup
1 egg yolk
1 lemon, juiced (or lime or orange)

1/2  tsp salt (and to taste)

3/4 cup oil (mixture of olive and vegetable oil is best)

In a blender, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil mixture and blend until smooth.

Garlic Aioli
Same as above, just add 2-3 cloves of garlic... or more!

Sun dried Tomato Aioli
Makes about 1 cup
1 egg yolk

2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2  tsp salt (and to taste)

3/4 cup oil (mixture of olive and vegetable oil is best)

In a blender, combine the egg yolk, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil mixture and blend until smooth.

Cilantro Aioli
Makes about 1 cup
1 egg yolk

2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup cilantro, rough chopped

1 lime, juiced

1/2  tsp salt (and to taste)

3/4 cup oil (mixture of olive and vegetable oil is best)

In a blender, combine the egg yolk, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil mixture and blend until smooth.

Some ideas for using it up...

• (Pictured) Great served as a dipping sauce for flank steak that has been marinated in lime, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Slathered onto chicken breasts, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and baked.
• Served with fish tacos

Roasted Red Pepper and Paprika Aioli

Makes about 1 cup
1 egg yolk

2 or 3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 of a large roasted red pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2  tsp salt (and to taste)

1/2  tsp smoked Spanish paprika

3/4 cup oil (mixture of olive and vegetable oil is best)

In a blender, combine the egg yolk, garlic, red pepper, lemon juice, salt and paprika. Slowly pour in the oil mixture and blend until smooth.  

Great served on Easy Catalan Fish Stew, but also great on lots of other things like sandwiches, egg dishes, steak, burgers and pork.

Other Ideas for Aioli... use your imagination, with 1 egg yolk, 3/4 cup oil, a little acid (lemon or vinegar), YOUR flavoring component (whatever sounds good to you...) and some seasoning, you can invent any kind of aioli to suit your meal:

• Black Pepper Aioli
• Wasabi Aioli
• Basil Garlic (Pesto) Aioli
• Carmelized Onion Aioli
• Chipotle Aioli
• Sriracha Aioli