Lemon Dill Garlic Aioli! So delicious and so easy to make! Zippy, flavorful and so delish! This would be terrific on just about anything! Crab cakes, salmon cakes, in a sandwich, on burgers, in tacos, with raw veggies as a dip, on hard boiled eggs, salmon, you name it! I hope you try this!
I am a bit protein obsessed at the moment. And if you’ve been following me for a while now, I’ve discovered my love for hard boiled eggs and creating these hard boiled egg flights. Or, my deviled egg hack.
Yesterday, I wanted some more eggs but I wanted to spruce up my mayo and make something a bit more flavorful! Enter this fabulous and oh so delicious Lemon Dill Garlic Aioli!!!
What Is Aioli?
According to Wikipedia: “Aioli, allioli or aïoli is a cold sauce consisting of an emulsion of garlic and olive oil; it is found in the cuisines of the northwest Mediterranean, from Andalusia to Calabria. The names mean “garlic and oil” in Catalan and Provençal.”
Martha Stewart explains it this way: “For an easy, all-purpose sauce that only sounds fancy, look no further than the powerhouse that is aioli. The sauce, claimed by both French and Spanish cuisines, is similar to mayonnaise, but there are subtle, but surefire differences. Here, learn more about aioli sauce, including its ingredients, how it is made, and how it can best be used in recipes.
Traditionally a pungent two-ingredient sauce made with garlic and olive oil, aioli also has a two-part name: ail is French for garlic and oli is Provençal for oil. Aioli is used around the northern Mediterranean, particularly in Eastern Spain and in Southern France (mainly Provence). Like many foods from those areas, its fame has spread.
Aioli vs. Mayo
Despite their similarities, there is a clear difference between aioli and mayonnaise: Mayo is made by emulsifying egg yolks and oil—generally, a neutral oil. In its most traditional form, aioli is simply fresh garlic emulsified with olive oil. But the aioli we know and love includes egg yolks for extra richness, and today, this version seems to dominate, which adds to the confusion.
Making Aioli at Home
Traditional aioli calls for a mortal and pestle, but most home kitchens today are equipped with a tool that makes the job much easier—the food processor. “The general technique is to emulsify the oil into the egg to make it into a thick suspension.”
Ingredients
Be thoughtful about the quality of ingredients you use for such a simple and straightforward sauce, especially as they will all be raw:
- Oil: “Select the freshest oil you can find, as oils tend to go rancid when exposed to heat, air, or light, and that can compromise the flavor of your aioli.” We often use olive oil for aioli, but Roszkowski prefers using a neutral, refined polyunsaturated oil such as canola, grapeseed, or sunflower oil, “so the texture remains constant when refrigerated and the oil flavor is not too pronounced.”
- Eggs: Buy fresh, free-range eggs; these will provide the best quality yolks for the aioli.
- Garlic: Use fresh, young garlic for aioli (or whenever you’re eating it raw), because older garlic will also lend a stronger flavor. “I recommend finely mincing, crushing, or making your garlic into a paste before introducing it to the mixture for uniformity in texture,” says Roszkowski. (She notes that finely chopping the garlic will make the garlic flavor stronger, as it crushes the cell walls of the clove.)
- Mustard: Though not traditional, mustard is often added to aioli to aid in the binding process. A mustard like Dijon also provides a nice flavor. The addition of an acid like lemon juice or vinegar can also round out the flavor.Source: Martha Stewart
Lemon Dill Garlic Aioli
Equipment
- food chopper, food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature!
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil or a combination of both
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice* split
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a mini food chopper, food processor or immersion blender, blend up the garlic, Dijon mustard, egg yolks and the dill until combined.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil, in a slow, steady stream, until completely blended, combined and slightly thick. Turn off the food processor, add in the lemon juice and salt and pepper (start with half of the lemon juice; I like adding this much lemon juice but add half first and taste and then add the rest if desired). Pulse again to combine and taste! Enjoy and see storage tips below!
