Allioli is the Catalan garlic sauce served with almost everything in Spain. We make it in the Thermomix® with pure olive oil, because the oil defines the character of the sauce. Neutral oil turns allioli into garlic mayonnaise.
The recipe uses two garlic cloves, one egg, lemon juice, salt and 200 g of olive oil. The ingredients go into the mixing bowl in that order, and the oil is drizzled in slowly through the measuring cup while the Thermomix® runs at speed 3.5. The sauce is ready in about 30 seconds.
Thermomix® Spanish Allioli
Ingredients 0 / 5 ✓
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 200 g olive oil
Instructions 0 / 4
-
1
Knoblauch hacken.
Peel the garlic, add to the mixing bowl, mince for 3 seconds/step 8 and push down with the spatula.
- 2 garlic cloves
-
2
Zutaten mischen.
Add the egg, lemon juice and salt to the mixing bowl and mix for 8 seconds/step 4.
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
-
3
emulgieren.
Insert the measuring cup into the mixing bowl lid. Set the Thermomix to speed 3.5 and slowly pour the oil onto the mixing bowl lid. The oil drips through the gaps in the measuring cup.
- 200 g olive oil
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4
servieren.
When the oil is completely drizzled in, the allioli is ready.
Tip: Refined with various herbs or chili, the allioli is a wonderful dip to grilled food or baguette.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why pure olive oil
Olive oil has a bitter, grassy base note that intensifies when it emulsifies with egg and garlic. That is not a flaw; it is the heart of allioli. Neutral oils such as sunflower oil make the sauce milder, but it ends up tasting like garlic mayonnaise. The bitterness of the olive oil balances the sharpness of the raw garlic.
We use a medium-fruity olive oil, not a mild one and not an intensely bitter one. Mild oil brings too little character; intense oil becomes too sharp during emulsification. An olive oil from Spain or Greece with medium intensity works best.
How the emulsion works
The Thermomix® runs at speed 3.5 while the oil drips through the gaps in the measuring cup into the mixing bowl. This slow addition is essential. The egg must coat every droplet of oil before the next one arrives. If the oil flows in too quickly, the emulsion breaks and the sauce separates.
Speed 3.5 is the right setting. Speed 4 whips too much air into the sauce; speed 3 emulsifies too slowly. At speed 3.5 the sauce becomes firm and creamy without turning foamy. After 25 to 30 seconds the oil is fully incorporated.
Chop the garlic, do not press it
The garlic is chopped for 3 seconds at speed 8, not pressed. Pressed garlic releases more allicin, the compound responsible for sharpness and bitterness. Chopped garlic stays milder and releases its flavour more evenly.
After chopping, scrape the garlic down with the spatula. If pieces stick to the sides, they will not come into contact with the egg and will remain raw in the finished sauce. That makes individual bites far too sharp.
If the sauce splits
A split allioli looks like yellow water with oil floating on top. This happens when the oil is added too quickly or the egg is too cold. An egg straight from the fridge is too cold to emulsify the oil evenly.
To rescue it, add a fresh egg to a clean mixing bowl, beat for 5 seconds at speed 4, then slowly pour the split sauce through the measuring cup while the Thermomix® runs at speed 3.5. The extra egg binds the broken emulsion.
Toning it down with neutral oil
If you want to reduce the bitter note of the olive oil, replace 100 g of it with sunflower oil. Add the 100 g of olive oil first, then 100 g of sunflower oil. The sauce stays creamy but loses its bitter base note. That is a compromise; it is no longer a classic allioli.
Another option is more lemon juice. Two teaspoons instead of one make the sauce more acidic and partially mask the bitterness. That changes the character of the sauce more than the oil blend does, though.
Leftovers the next day
Allioli keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in a sealed jar. The sauce contains raw egg, so do not store it longer. After a day the garlic flavour intensifies as the aromatic compounds continue to spread through the oil.
Give it a quick stir before serving. Olive oil firms up in the fridge and rises to the top. That is not a sign of a broken emulsion; it is normal physics. At room temperature the sauce becomes creamy again.
What to serve allioli with
In Spain, allioli is served with grilled meat, fish, vegetables and potatoes. The sauce is thick enough to spread on bread and fluid enough to work as a dip. We serve it with patatas bravas, paella and grilled vegetables.
Goes well with: Baguette.
With herbs such as parsley, basil or coriander the sauce becomes a green dip. With smoked paprika it turns into a romesco-style sauce. With chilli it gets a kick. The base always stays the same: garlic, egg, olive oil.
