Alton Brown's umami mayo gives the classic condiment a Japanese twist with smoked bonito flakes in this Good Eats recipe.

Course: Sauces & Condiments

Keyword: Asian, Condiments, Dairy-Free, Dips, Gluten-Free, Japanese, Sauces, Umami Mayo

Umami Mayo

Name: Umami Mayo
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups grapeseed oil; 3 cups bonito flakes; 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard; 2 large egg yolks; 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 35

Yield: 1

Mayo may be classically French, but this sauce gains an umami kick from an ingredient that’s as Japanese as Godzilla wearing a Hello Kitty backpack. Katsuobushi or bonito flakes are bonito or skipjack tuna loins that have been dried, smoked, and, when hard as a block of wood, shaved into flakes. The best katsuobushi is aged for months, or even years, and can be easily procured on the interwebs.

This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: The Return.

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Software

1 1/4 cups grapeseed oil
3 cups bonito flakes
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Specialized Hardware

Fine-mesh sieve

ACTIVE TIME: 15

TOTAL TIME: 35

Yield: 1

Procedure

Combine the grapeseed oil and the bonito flakes in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the oil reaches 180°F. Remove from the heat and cool at room temperature for 20 minutes before straining through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve the bonito flakes for another use.I use these on pizza, in scrambled eggs, and on toast and with Manchego cheese.
Whisk the egg yolks together with the lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk briskly, then add the oil a few drops at a time until the egg mixture thickens and lightens in color a bit. Then, still whisking briskly, increase the oil flow to a constant, thin stream until a smooth mayonnaise texture is achieved.