Spicy Mayo

[aaronh2012]

Does anyone have a good recipe for spicy mayo as used in sushi? Specifically, I am looking to replicate a dish I've had at a few restaraunts in New York City - the Spicy Scallop Handroll made by Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari, and Hatsuhana. I've come across a few recipes for spicy mayo - mayo + sriracha rooster sauce is the standard spicy mayo recipe used in most spicy tuna rolls. The other recipe I've tried is mayo + toban jiang (chinese spicy chili soybean paste).

Any ideas?

[maymeow]

does anyone know what they put in the spicy mayo at Sushi Mac? it's so good! i guess that's how they mask the low quality of their sushi, but i'm addicted to it. i'd really appreciate any insight. thanks!

[paulj]

I've made the mayo used in 'dynamite mussels'. Besides Kewpie mayo and siracha, it calles for dashi-no-moto dissolved in a bit of cream. Dashi-no-moto is the instant dashi base. It is pretty high in MSG.

paulj

[meeshka7]

For spicy mayo:
chile oil (make your own) just grab a handful of dried red chilies and put into a small pan with
canola oil about 1 cup that is already hot but not smoking. Keep the flame low and saute chilies 'till a red brown, about 8 min. Remove chilies. Let cool. There's your oil. It's much better than bought. Ok, now, combine about a teaspoon oil with about 1/2 cup mayo, a heaping tablespoon masago fish roe (it's orange) a few drops of sesame oil and fine red pepper Just a pinch. ( that I get at a korean market) although you could use cayenne pepper.
Hope you like it.

[kayonyc]

Here's mine:

Kewpie mayo, a drizzle of roasted sesame oil, drizzle of La-yu chili oil (also found in Japanese markets) ground white pepper (found in chinese markets), and a touch of rice wine vinegar and soy (really, just a light touch). Add a spoonful of tobiko if you're having it with sashimi or sushi. Tell me what you think.

[aaronh2012]

Ok, thank you for the suggestions. I made another batch of spicy mayo.

1. Tabasco + sugar + kewpie : it's actually the first recipe with Tabasco that I liked but i thought i made it a little too sweet. It was still a little sour though so I think i'll have to play around to get this just right. After sampling, I added a touch of sesame oil but I forgot to through the MSG in this one.
2. Crushed red chilis + garlic + kewpie + sesame oil : this was actually my favorite of the batch. Not at all what I was looking for but pretty tasty. I also added a touch of MSG at the end.
3. Toban jian + rooster sauce + kewpie + sesame oil : good, but not quite what I was going for.

I came across a review of Sushi of Gari where the reviewer claims the spicy tuna is made with tabasco so now I really want to play around with the recipe. However, the spicy scallop handroll that I'm aiming to replicate also seems to have a bit of roe in it so I should try to find some first I think.

[PakaloloDreams]

I've mashed chipotle in adobo sauce into a fine paste then mixed it with mexican crema for fish tacos, but loved it so much i've used it for other dishes that call for mayo mixes. hot, smoky, sweet and a bit tart.

[Sugar Jones]

I do this too Pakalolo, but I add a bit of brown sugar too. Yummy on fish and shrimp tacos.

[aaronh2012]

I certainly wouldn't order a spicy tuna roll at Yasuda (which I prefer to Kuruma for traditional) but Sushi of Gari, Sushi Seki, and Hatsuhana (which i prefer to masa for avant garde sushi) all actually make very good spicy scallop handrolls. I was skeptical the first time I ordered it, but it really is amazing.

[jenniebnyc]

in addition to mayo and siracha i add a touch of sesame oil and the red pepper/sesame seed spice found in the little red and black shaker you find in asian markets....usually sprinkled in soups......to my recipe as well.

another good addition is minced scallions

[soypower]

i always thought the sauce tasted a lot like the korean sashimi condiment, cho-jang. it's a mixture of gochujang, garlic, vinegar, and sugar. mix in a little mayo and i think you might have a winning combination. :o)

[aaronh2012]

The tabasco suggestion is interesting. If you use the rooster sauce made in Rosemead, CA you will get the smooth consistency you are expecting. I actually tried adding some Cholula to the mayo to see how it worked. As a rule, I dislike Tabasco the brand, but I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

[kobetobiko]

I have experimented this with several brands of mayo and hot sauce. The combination that I found to be closest to restaurants' is: Kewpie mayo + tabasco + sugar

Siracha (which I tried) had chili / garlic flakes in it, so it couldn't result in the smooth spicy mayo texture I found in restaurants. Tabasco does the trick.

Thanks!

[kare_raisu]

I think you picked up the Indonesian Sambal Oelek which Siracha also manufactures. You are looking for the tall bottle.

[kobetobiko]

Hi kare_raisu,

I actuallhy tried both (!) the sambal oelek and the garlic chili paste from Siracha (they are both stable in my pantry).
THe garlic chili sauce (the tall bottle) has a better texture, but the garlic flavor is too strong for this mayo for sushi. (It is still not completely smooth).
The sambal oelek, as mentioned above, has too many flakes in it so does not result in the right texture.
Tabasco is the best in terms of resulting in the smooth mayo texture, but it is too vingeary, and I balanced it with sugar.

aarohnh2012, I think any clean-tasting hot sauce in liquid form (so avoid the ones that are too thick) should work well, and for most cases, you will need some sugar to balance out the flavor.

Let me know how it turns out!

Thanks!

[kare_raisu]

Kobe--

I work at a sushi bar and we always used the siracha, but I have the feeling that you may have encountered a kochujang based Mayo.

Many Korean-owned sushi-restaurants in the area serve this sauce because of a familiarity of it, and it lends a natural sweetness without added sugar.

Try it out if you have a korean grocer nearby.

Best Regards.

[morebubbles]

Japanese mayo and Japanese chili sauce (you'll find it where you buy your Japanese supplies). It has a nice 'clean' taste-I used to have it at home.

[aaronh2012]

I actually used Kewpie mayo but I didn't even realize that would make a difference. Maybe I should try some homemade mayo?

I have tried some red pepper paste called "momiji oroshi" - it contains red pepper, vinegar, and fd&c red #40. I'll experiment with this one again.

I'll give the wasabi paste a try, but I think that's for a different spicy mayo than I am going for on this try.

I picked up some fish stock that contains MSG and some "arashibori yuzu shoyu" which seems to be soy sauce + fish stock + MSG. I'll definitely try adding these to see how it changes the sauce; do the high end sushi restaraunts add MSG?

It'll take me a few hours but I'll post again with the results around 7 or 8pm EST.

[omotosando]

Actually "high end" sushi restaurants don't serve spicy tuna rolls or the like. Try ordering that at Masa or Kuruma Zushi. Spicy sauces are generally a way to disguise the fact that you aren't using stellar fish.

That being said, I enjoy a spicy tuna roll now and again. Until I win the lottery, I am not able to eat high end sushi each time I want sushi and spicy sauces do help less than top grade fish taste better.

[Gail]

Why not add wasabi paste to taste?

[LloydG]

I think "Kewpie" mayo is probably the key. I sometimes add a tiny bit of sesame oil as well.

[kare_raisu]

Try to get your hands on some 'Kewpie' Japanese Mayo - 9 times out of 10 its just kewpie and Siracha.

MSG is the secret ingredient.