About 99% of the public has not had real aioli. What you are typically given in a restaurant is mayonnaise based. Which is NOT aioli. We always ask at resturants if their "aioli" has mayonnaise it. Every single tiime they say, yes. That is actually a garlic mayonnaise. There's a difference in taste and texture. It only takes a few ingredients but has a short shelf life. Which is the problem for restaurants.
Ingredients for about 2/3 cup Real Aioli
- 4 large FRESH garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or other course grain salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly sqeezed lemon juice or vinegar, or to taste
- 1/2 cup *light flavored extra virgin olive oil
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of water to adjust texture
- Note: This is best eaten fresh, but should be okay for about 24 hours.
* Since this sauce has such a sharp, hot flavor from the garlic, you don’t want to use a really strongly flavored olive oil. We don’t want anything too peppery and bitter, which will clash with the garlic. Use something on the mild side, or cut with a neutral vegetable oil.
DIRECTIONS
- Place garlic slices in a mortar with kosher salt. Mash with the pestle into a fine paste, 4 or 5 minutes. Mix in lemon juice.
- Add a teaspoon of olive oil; stir and mash until oil is incorporated. Add another teaspoon and mix in thoroughly. Continue incorporating olive oil, teaspoon by teaspoon, mashing and stirring until aioli thickens up. If the aioli gets thicker than you like, add a few drops of water.
