A cold garlic and mayonnaise sauce, ready in 5 minutes, for dipping or drizzling over grilled meats and raw vegetables.
Creamy, fresh and lightly punchy, this garlic sauce pairs with a hot merguez sausage, raw vegetables or grilled vegetables. Allow 5 minutes, with no cooking required: the mayonnaise already provides the binding and creaminess. Serving 4 to 8 people, it is prepared cold, left thick as a dipping sauce or thinned with a splash of water for drizzling. File it alongside my keto sauces and dips.
What is garlic sauce?
The name sums up the essentials: garlic provides a bold, lingering flavor, while mayonnaise serves as the creamy base. It is prepared cold using thick mayonnaise, very finely crushed garlic, dried chives and parsley, a little salt and black pepper. Depending on how you plan to use it, it can stay thick and easy to spoon, or be loosened with water added a little at a time.
It pairs with grilled meats, merguez sausages and meat from a homemade kebab served without bread, as well as grilled vegetables, well-drained raw vegetables or hard-boiled eggs. An overnight rest in the refrigerator helps the herbs rehydrate and the flavors meld, but it can also be served straight away.
Origins and uses in France
In France, this cold sauce accompanies grilled meats, skewers and family barbecues for a quick, convivial meal. Its formula is simple: mayonnaise provides body, garlic brings flavor, and water adjusts the texture without making it heavier. Thick, it works as a dip; thinner, it coats a skewer; spread in a thin layer, it fills a flaxseed wrap without making it soggy.
The main ingredients
The base consists of 8 generous tablespoons of thick, creamy mayonnaise, which adds richness, binds the ingredients and gives the sauce body. Since it is often already seasoned, add salt cautiously. The 4 garlic cloves give the sauce its character: crushed as finely as possible, they blend throughout without leaving harsh chunks of raw garlic, with an intensity that varies from bulb to bulb.
The dried chives, 2 teaspoons, add a fresh herbal note, while the dried parsley, also 2 teaspoons, rounds out the herbs and color. Choose herbs that are still fragrant, as stale ones add more color than flavor. Two pinches of salt fine-tune the seasoning, and a pinch of black pepper backs up the garlic. To thin the sauce, add water one tablespoon at a time; for a variation, 1 teaspoon of chili flakes spices things up. Mayonnaise may contain eggs and sometimes mustard, so check according to your guests’ dietary needs.
Texture, serving and storage
Mix the mayonnaise with the crushed garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, then gradually adjust the texture with water: the sauce should spread easily while still clinging to the food. Keep it thick for dipping raw vegetables, or thinner for drizzling over grilled meats or dressing a mixed salad. A quick stir before serving restores its smooth consistency.
Allow for 1 g of net carbs per serving; its suitability for a low-carb diet depends on the mayonnaise, the portion size and the accompaniments, with fries and bread changing the equation. Keep the sauce tightly covered in the refrigerator in a clean container, use a clean utensil to serve it and return it promptly to the refrigerator, especially during a barbecue. If using homemade mayonnaise made with raw eggs, prepare it as close to serving time as possible. Serve it cold, as significant heat spoils its texture.
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Mayonnaise-Based Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 generous tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons chives (dried)
- 2 teaspoons parsley (dried)
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- water to taste
Variation
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
Instructions
- Place the mayonnaise in a small container.8 generous tablespoons mayonnaise
- Crush the garlic as finely as possible using a garlic press and add it.4 cloves garlic
- Add the herbs, salt and pepper.2 teaspoons chives (dried), 2 teaspoons parsley (dried), 2 pinches salt, 1 pinch black pepper, 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- This will give you a thick garlic sauce. For a thinner sauce, simply dilute it with water. Add one tablespoon at a time.water
- Preferably refrigerate overnight (well covered). Stir briefly before serving.
