Week 28 -- Aioli & Remoulade Sauce

Aioli has become a very popular term on restaurant menus. Most of these "aiolis" are really just numerous mayonnaise sauce variations, and restaurants often use prepared mayonnaise due to fear of egg contamination. Classic aioli is a Mediterranean (Spain, France, Italy) sauce, consisting of garlic, whole egg, and olive oil, which are emulsified like mayonnaise, except using the whole egg instead of just the yolk. Basic aioli sauce is really a garlic mayonnaise. Remoulade is a condiment/cold sauce, invented in France and popularized in New Orleans, that is usually aioli or mayonnaise based. There are many variations of remoulade sauce, as with aioli sauce. Feel free to use your own herb and spice combinations.

  • Classic Aioli Sauce
    • Emulsified like mayonnaise, except using the whole egg instead of just the yolk
    • Aioli can be served over vegetables, like green beans, asparagus, broccoli, artichokes, etc, or fish, chicken, pork, or spread on bread for sandwiches, shrimp and oyster po-boys, or hamburgers, for example, or use it to make chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, etc, great for french fries
    • Feel free to add other ingredients for "aioli" variations, eg., roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, lime, wasabi, horseradish, dill, hot sauce, sriracha, avocado, basil, oregano, paprika, whatever you like
    • Ingredients
      • 1 whole egg
      • 3 garlic cloves
      • 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard or dijon (optional)
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1 cup olive oil
      • 1 or 2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
      • White or black pepper to taste
    • Procedure
      • Put everything except the olive oil in food processor
      • Process at high speed for a couple minutes, puree
      • While the processor is running, very slowly pour the olive oil through the food pusher opening
      • You may not need all the oil, or you may want more, stop and check periodically for the color and consistency you desire
      • Instead of mixing egg and olive oil, just use prepared mayonnaise, about 1 cup

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  • Crab Aioli Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1 cup mayonnaise
      • 1 cup lump crab
      • 3 cloves garlic, minced
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
      • 1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
      • 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
      • White or black pepper to taste
    • Procedure
      • Mix all ingredients gently to preserve the texture of the crab
      • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

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  • Lemon Garlic Aioli Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
      • 2 garlic cloves, minced
      • 3/4 tsp lemon juice
      • 1/4 tsp salt
      • White or black pepper to taste (1/4 tsp)
      • 1 tsp olive/canola oil
    • Procedure
      • Mix all ingredients
      • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

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  • Wasabi Aioli Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
      • 1 garlic clove, minced
      • 1 tsp wasabi powder
      • 1 tsp soy sauce
    • Procedure
      • Mix all ingredients
      • Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

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  • Cajun Remoulade
    • Largely an alternative to ketchup and horseradish cocktail sauce or tartar sauce for shrimp, crawfish, or seafood, but good for vegetables, french fries, fried green tomatoes, chicken nuggets, deviled eggs, chicken salad, etc
    • Remoulade sauces are nearly always aioli or mayonnaise based
    • Feel free to add other ingredients for remoulade variations
    • Ingredients
      • 3 tbs mayonnaise
      • 1 tbs ketchup
      • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
      • 1 tsp capers, coarsely chopped (including a little of the brine)
      • 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
      • Optional: add 1/2 tsp pickle relish
      • White or black pepper to taste
    • Procedure
      • Whisk together
      • Process at high speed for a couple minutes, puree
      • Consider adding hot sauce or cayenne pepper, finely chopped red onion, garlic, horseradish, parsley, chives, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, tarragon, etc, whatever you like

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  • Fish Taco Sauce
    • Essentially an aioli variation
    • Feel free to add or swap out ingredients to taste or what is on hand
    • Ingredients
      • 6 tbs mayonnaise
      • 4 tbs sour cream
      • 2 cloves garlic, minced or presses
      • 1 tbs cilantro, chopped (or try basil or tarragon)
      • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, or regular chili powder
    • Procedure
      • Whisk ingredients together, refrigerate 1 hour before serving
      • Consider adding hot sauce or cayenne pepper, horseradish, parsley, chives, lemon or lime juice, etc, whatever you like

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  • Thousand Island Remoulade
    • Wonderful for reubens, corned beef, pastrami, seafood, and vegetables, french fries, home fries
    • Feel free to add other ingredients for remoulade variations
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
      • 2 tbs ketchup
      • 1/4 onion, diced
      • 4 garlic cloves, minced
      • 1 tsp pickle relish
      • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
      • White or black pepper to taste
    • Procedure
      • Add everything to food processor, blend at high speed for a couple minutes, puree
      • Consider adding hot sauce or horseradish

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  • Saffron Rouille
    • A variation of aioli with saffron color and flavor and hint of citrus, great for seafood, pork, and for spreading on crostini, famously paired with bouillabaisse
    • Feel free to add/substitute other ingredients for variations, though the saffron and garlic remain
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
      • 1/16 tsp saffron threads, just a little will do, but if you really love saffron, use 1/8 tsp
      • 1/4 tsp hot water
      • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
      • 2 tbs olive oil
      • 1/4 tsp lemon juice
      • Optional: 1 tbs roasted red pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne
      • White or black pepper to taste (1/4 tsp)
    • Procedure
      • Sprinkle saffron over the hot water in small dish and let stand a few minutes
      • Blend saffron (use a rubber spatula to get all the saffron, if needed) and other ingredients in blender until smooth

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  • Tartar Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
      • 1 tbs dill pickle relish, finely diced
      • 2 tsp onion, finely diced
      • 1 tsp lemon juice
      • 1 tsp dried dill weed
      • 1/4 tsp salt
      • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients
      • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour for flavors to mingle and blend before serving

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  • Cocktail Sauce
    • Ingredients
      • 1/2 cup ketchup
      • 2 tbs prepared horseradish
      • 1 tsp lemon juice
      • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
      • Black pepper to taste
    • Procedure
      • Combine all ingredients
      • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour for flavors to mingle and blend before serving

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Crab Cakes, a great way to use aioli or remoulade (salmon, cod, tilapia)

  • Whenever making cakes or paddies it's important to have your cod, crab, salmon, tilapia, etc as dry as possible, if there's too much liquid we'll get excessive evaporation of moisture, and the evaporating moisture will break down the binding, causing cakes or paddies to fall apart or crumble
  • Three parts
    • Goop: mayonnaise, mustard, Thai chili paste, Thai peanut sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, things that add moisture, flavor, texture, then seasonings like garlic, Old Bay, oregano, basil, ginger, fresh chopped chives, parsley, shallots, etc
    • Binder: eggs, the protein coagulation provides the binding together, also bread crumbs or butter cracker crumbs (Ritz)
    • Product: Crab, salmon, fish, shrimp, scallops, shredded chicken or pork
  • Procedure
    • 1 egg in a bowl, whisk up well
    • 6 tbs mayonnaise in another bowl, 1 tbs whole grain mustard (or dijon), 1 tbs remoulade (or add some finely chopped onion (1/2 onion) and/or bell pepper (1/2 pepper), a squirt of ketchup, a few capers, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce), 1 tsp Old Bay, or use an Asian (soy, teriyaki, hoisin, oyster sauce, a bit of sesame oil) or other sauce, but remember that you want the flavor of the crab to shine forth
    • Add the egg (binding agent) to the goop and whisk well, stir in butter cracker meal (pulverized Ritz)
    • Slowly add the binder/goop mixture to 1 lb of crab meat (or other protein product)
      • You may not need all the binder/goop
      • Use just enough to moisten the crab (protein product) and bind it
    • Some people add bread crumbs, but why detract so much from the crab itself, use just enough panko or butter bread crumbs as needed for binding
    • Portion out all the crab cakes the same size in balls (about 3 oz, english muffin size when flattened), and roll them in panko or Ritz bread crumbs, then flatten into cakes, and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper
    • Oven roast at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown -- flip at 10 minutes
    • They can also be broiled in oven or pan fried in 1/4 inch of oil on stove top until golden brown (for best result)

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Baltimore Coddies, cod or fish cakes with potato and egg as binder

  • Whenever making cakes or paddies it's important to have your cod, crab, salmon, tilapia, etc as dry as possible, if there's too much liquid we'll get excessive evaporation of moisture, and the evaporating moisture will break down the binding, causing cakes or paddies to fall apart or crumble
    • Roast the cod in the oven first as the extra drying helps a lot, break the cod up to increase surface area to speed up the drying (it's OK to marinate cod in milk for a couple hours first)
    • Bake the potatoes first, too
    • While cod is traditional, other white fish or salmon can be used
  • Ingredients
    • 1 lb cod fillets (optionally use other fish)
    • 12 oz russet potatoes, yukons good
    • 2 tbs butter, 1 tbs milk, 1 egg (whisked)
    • 1 shallot or 1/2 onion, finely chopped, and lightly sauteed to soften
    • 1 tbs parsley (consider some tarragon), finely chopped
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • Panko bread crumbs for rolling the cod/potato balls in just before frying
  • Procedure
    • Bake the potatoes
    • During last few minutes of potato baking, roast the cod to dry it some
    • Break up the cod (not too fine, leave some nice chunks), and mash the potatoes (fairly smooth) in separate bowls
    • Blend the potatoes together with the egg, butter, milk, shallots, parsley, salt and pepper
    • Some people add bread crumbs, but why detract so much from the cod itself
    • Fold the cod gently into the potato mixture
    • Portion out all the coddies the same size, and roll them in panko bread crumbs, then flatten into cakes
    • Pan fry in oil until golden brown
    • Or bake in 425F oven until brown, 165F internal temp, if not yet golden, put under broiler until golden brown

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