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+ servings

Umami Mayo

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.
Umami Mayonnaise in Jar
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
Yield: 1

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

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.