Calabrian Chili Mayo

This mayo is such a versatile condiment. We use it all week long on sandwiches and burgers, or as a dip for fries. Calabrian chili peppers are fairly spicy, so add them in about 2 at a time and taste before adding more. An immersion blender or small food processor will help you bring it all together in just a few minutes.

This recipe is adapted from The Food Lab’s foolproof mayo/Two-Minute Mayonnaise Recipe.

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Ingredients

• 2 egg yolks

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1 cup sunflower oil*

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil*

• 1 clove garlic, lightly chopped

• 5-10 Calabrian chili peppers, stems removed, lightly chopped

• Kosher salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

• Immersion blender (highly recommended) or small food processor

Instructions

Using an Immersion Blender

Find a tall, skinny cup that will just accommodate the head of the blender (the edges of the head of the immersion blender should be brushing up against the inside of the cup). Ideally, you still have the blending cup that came with your immersion blender? Otherwise, think about something like a tall pint glass, or bullet-style blending container. Add the two egg yolks, lemon juice, water, and chopped garlic clove to the cup. Place the head of your immersion blender into the cup so that it’s resting on the bottom, over your ingredients. Pulse the blender a few times to bring everything together.

Slowly pour the sunflower oil into the cup (while the head of the immersion blender is still in place). When all the oil is in the cup, turn the immersion blender on again and allow it to pull the oil downward to mix with the yolk mixture. Once you start to observe a thick mayo forming in the bottom of the cup, very slowly, draw the immersion blender upward a bit (like, less than a centimeter). Keep it there for about 30 seconds to allow more oil to draw downward into the cup. Slowly push the head of the blender back down to the bottom of the cup and then draw it slowly up again to a point just higher than you previously had been. Slowly repeat this process until all the oil has been incorporated and you have a very thick mayo.

Transfer the mayo to a medium bowl. Using a whisk, slowly incorporate the olive oil into the mayo. Drizzle the olive oil in from a measuring cup with one hand, while whisking with the other (better yet, have a kitchen helper drizzle the oil in while you whisk). After incorporating all of the olive oil, if you think the mayo is still a bit stiff, slowly whisk in another tablespoon of water or a bit of lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Finally, add the chopped Calabrian chili peppers to the bowl. I usually use the immersion blender to blend the chili peppers into the mayo, but you could also just finely chop the peppers and then stir them into the mayo. Add a few peppers at a time and taste before adding more. Transfer the mayo to an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to about a week and a half.

Using a Food Processor

Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, and chopped garlic into the processor. Pulse a few times to bring everything together - make sure that the ingredients are coming into contact with the blades, as you don’t want the blades just whirring over the top of everything. Slowly drizzle in the sunflower oil while the food processor is operating. Once all the sunflower oil is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the food processor and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is operating. If you think the processor is beginning to get too hot, transfer the mayo to a medium bowl and incorporate the olive oil using a whisk as detailed above. After incorporating all of the olive oil, if you think the mayo is still a bit stiff, mix in another tablespoon of water or a bit of lemon juice. Season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.

Finally, add the chopped Calabrian chili peppers to the processor and pulse a few times to incorporate. Add a few peppers at a time and taste before adding more. Transfer the mayo to an air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to about a week and a half.

Notes

*We prefer to use sunflower oil over canola oil or vegetable oil as the sunflower oil is a bit lighter. By using a mixture of sunflower oil and olive oil, you end up with a mayo that still has a rich olive oil undertone, but isn’t quite as heavy. If you want a lighter mayo still, you could increase the sunflower oil to 1.5 cups and use just 0.5 cup of olive oil.