Garlic Rouille
Rouille is the necessary companion to a proper fish stew, providing a sharp, stinging garlic bite that cuts through broth. It relies entirely on the steady hand you use to feed the oil into the egg yolks.
Patience is your only stabilizer.
If you pour the oil too quickly, the sauce will break into an oily mess. Keep your ingredients at room temperature to ensure the emulsion holds.
- mortar and pestle
- whisk
- mixing bowl
What goes in.
- 4 clovesgarlic, peeled
- 1 pinchsaffron threads
- 2egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsplemon juice
- to tastefine sea salt
- 1/2 tspcayenne pepper
Droplet by Droplet
The first quarter cup of oil must be added drop by drop while whisking constantly. Once the mixture thickens and looks like a cream, you can increase the flow to a very thin stream.
The method.
Prepare the aromatics
Place the garlic cloves and a generous pinch of salt into the mortar. Crush them into a smooth, uniform paste. Add the saffron threads and grind until they release their color into the garlic.
Combine the base
Transfer the garlic paste to a medium bowl. Add the egg yolks and the cayenne pepper. Whisk vigorously for one minute until the yolks are aerated and slightly pale.
Begin the emulsion
Add the olive oil one drop at a time, whisking continuously in the same direction. Do not add more oil until the previous drop is completely absorbed.
Finish the sauce
Once the mixture thickens, slowly stream in the remaining oil. Stir in the lemon juice at the end to tighten the texture and balance the weight of the oil.
Other turns to take.
Bread-thickened
Soak a small piece of day-old crustless sourdough in fish stock, squeeze it dry, and mash it into the garlic paste before adding the yolks for a more rustic, textured sauce.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the sauce breaks, stop adding oil immediately. Put a fresh egg yolk in a clean bowl and slowly whisk the broken mixture into the new yolk, a teaspoon at a time.
Use a light-flavored olive oil if you find extra virgin too aggressive, though traditional recipes favor a robust, peppery oil.
Keep the bowl steady by wrapping a damp kitchen towel into a ring base for it to sit on.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use a food processor?
You can, but it is easy to over-process and heat the sauce, which causes the emulsion to fail. The mortar and pestle produce a superior, silkier texture.
How long will this last?
Because it contains raw egg, consume it immediately. If you must keep it, store it in an airtight container in the coldest part of the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
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