Lemon-Dill Aioli Sauce

Name: Lemon-Dill Aioli Sauce
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 2 medium garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 large egg yolks (room temperature); 1 tablespoons chopped dill; 1 cup avocado oil (or olive oil or any combination of oils); ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; Salt and white pepper to taste

August 27, 2014 by Pat 33 Comments

This amazing lemon-dill aioli sauce is smooth and creamy with a pronounced dill flavor that is the perfect accompaniment for fish.

The first time I saw aioli sauce on a menu with a fish entrée I did not know what to expect and was surprised to find that is was similar to a mayonnaise. It is basically made in the same way as mayonnaise with garlic and any herbs that you want to jazz it up with. I chose dill here as it is a great accompaniment to fish. It was also delicious mixed in with my tuna salad for a sandwich.

Pasteurized egg yolks may be substituted for regular egg yolks and I like to use Safe Eggs which I buy locally at Albertsons . I have used avocado oil in this recipe because it is very mild. Olive oil is a good choice if it is the light olive oil as it has a milder flavor than extra virgin olive oil.

I used my mini-food processor which is ideal for this sauce as it has a small hole in the lid that keeps the oil dribbling in at a steady stream. A hand held immersion blender or a standard blender will also work very well for this recipe. There are two very important steps to the success of this recipe: use room temperature ingredients and drizzle the oil in slowly.

If your egg yolks are still cold from the fridge, you will have trouble getting the mixture to emulsify and end up with a runny mess. A quick trick to bring eggs to room temperature is to place them (while still in the shell) in a dish of warm water for about five minutes. After you crack the eggs open to separate them, make sure they are not still cold. If they are then let them sit on the counter top a bit longer. Starting with cold ingredients is one of the main reasons for a failed aioli sauce.

Another key to success is to drizzle the oil in slowly. You will notice the recipe says to add the oil in a thin stream over two minutes. This is not a typo. Seriously, take two minutes to add the oil in a thin stream. The first 30 seconds to 1 minute are the most critical. Start very slowly and try not to add more than 1/4 cup of oil in the first 30 seconds. By the time 1 minute has gone by, you should not have used more than 1/2 cup of oil so pace yourself and go slow. If you do happen to miss the mark on this and end up with a broken, curdled looking mess, don’t throw it out. You can fix a broken aioli with a new egg yolk. Pour the broken aioli into a bowl and place a fresh, room temperature egg yolk in the food processor or blender. Start processing the egg yolk then slowly add the broken aioli back into the processor. You can add a bit more oil after the broken aioli has been added. If you find the aioli is too thick then you can drizzle in some water to thin it down.

This recipe has been adapted from The Joy of Seafood, by Patrice Boely and makes about one and one-half cups and will keep in the refrigerator for about one week.

Check out some great fish recipes to go with this sauce. Grilled Swordfish Steak or our Honey Lemon Glazed Salmon Fillets

Video:

How to make our Lemon-Dill Aioli Sauce: