Aïoli is the garlic sauce of Provence, in southeastern France. The name combines the Provençal words for garlic (ai) and oil (oli), and the traditional sauce is little more than garlic, olive oil and salt pounded together in a mortar until it forms a thick emulsion.

Egg yolk is a common modern addition that makes the emulsion more stable and forgiving, and it is used in this version. Purists in Provence define true aïoli as garlic and oil only, which is harder to emulsify by hand. Whichever method is used, the key is adding the oil very slowly at first.

In Provence, the sauce is the centerpiece of le grand aïoli, a communal platter of poached fish (often salt cod), boiled potatoes, carrots, green beans and hard-cooked eggs. A similar spirit of boiled cod, vegetables and eggs appears in Portuguese cooking in Bacalhau com Todos (recipe on the site). For a milder relative, see Onion Aioli (recipe on the site), and for another Provençal classic, Salade Niçoise (recipe on the site).

Aïoli Provençal Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

For the aïoli:
4 large garlic cloves, peeled, halved and any green germ removed
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large pasteurized egg yolk, at room temperature
¾ cup mild extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons warm water, if needed
For serving (le grand aïoli):
1 pound small potatoes, boiled in salted water
1 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched
4 carrots, peeled and boiled until tender
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1 pound cod fillets, poached, or salt cod, desalted and poached

Cook along

Instructions

Mash the garlic and salt in a mortar with a pestle (or on a cutting board with the flat of a knife) for 2 to 3 minutes until a completely smooth paste forms.
Stir in the egg yolk until the paste turns sticky and pale.
Add the oil literally drop by drop, stirring or pounding steadily in one direction. After about ¼ cup has been absorbed and the sauce is thick, add the remaining oil in a slow, thin stream.
Stir in the lemon juice, then add warm water a teaspoon at a time if the sauce is too stiff. Taste and add salt if needed.
Let the aïoli rest 15 minutes for the garlic to mellow. Serve at cool room temperature, with the vegetables, eggs and fish arranged on a platter.