New Orleans Creole Remoulade (Hand-Whisked, Not Stirred)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Most remoulade is a jar of mayo with ketchup stirred in. This one starts where the good New Orleans kitchens start: an egg yolk whisked into a thick, glossy emulsion with neutral oil, then loosened with lemon and built out with Creole mustard, horseradish, paprika and finely minced celery, scallion and parsley. Because you're emulsifying from scratch, the sauce carries far more flavor per spoonful and clings to fried shrimp instead of sliding off. It comes together in about 15 minutes with a bowl and a whisk, and it gets better after an hour in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp Creole mustard or coarse whole-grain mustard
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to finish
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup neutral oil (grapeseed or canola)
• 1 to 2 tsp cold water, as needed

• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish, drained
• 1 tbsp Creole mustard
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce, such as Crystal or Tabasco
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, grated on a microplane
• 1 tbsp finely minced celery (from the tender inner ribs)
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallion, green and white parts
• 2 tbsp finely minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp finely minced dill pickle or cornichon
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt, to finish

Instructions

1. Set a medium bowl on a damp kitchen towel so it can't spin. Add the egg yolk, 1 tablespoon Creole mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Whisk hard for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is smooth, slightly pale and streaks the sides of the bowl.
2. Pour the oil into a measuring cup with a spout. Start adding it to the yolk mixture literally drop by drop — no more than 1/4 teaspoon at a time — whisking continuously. Keep going for the first 2 tablespoons of oil; this is where the emulsion is won or lost. The mixture should look thick and mayonnaise-like before you speed up.
3. Once it is visibly thick, add the remaining oil in a thin, steady stream about the width of a pencil lead, whisking the whole time. The base will become very stiff and pale. If it gets too tight to whisk, add 1 teaspoon cold water to loosen it and continue. When all the oil is in, you should have roughly 1 cup of firm, glossy base that holds a peak.
4. Whisk in the ketchup, horseradish, the second tablespoon of Creole mustard, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne and grated garlic. The sauce will loosen slightly and turn a deep rust orange. Whisk 15 seconds more so the paprika fully hydrates rather than sitting as dry specks.
5. Fold in the minced celery, scallion, parsley and pickle with a spatula — switch from whisk to spatula here so the vegetables stay in distinct pieces instead of bruising into a purée.
6. Taste and finish: add black pepper, an extra squeeze of lemon juice and kosher salt in small pinches until the sauce tastes bright and assertive rather than merely rich. It should be spoonable but thick enough to mound on a spoon; thin with cold water 1 teaspoon at a time if you want a drizzling consistency.
7. Scrape into a jar, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving — the paprika and horseradish need that time to bloom and the raw garlic edge to settle. Stir once before serving.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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