Brilliant Ways to use Mayonnaise ~ some you might not have thought of!

Strange quote by Robin Williams

Well, I am a gentile but have many, many good reasons for eating mayonnaise!

Before we start, however, please see my previous post on 38 Different Ways to Flavour Mayonnaise (it will open in a separate tab so you can refer to it as necessary) all of which can be used in the following ways. 

~  Salad dressing ~ obviously!

~   As a sauce or topping for fish, burgers, steaks, etc. 

~   Mayonnaise Dips

Any of the 38 delicious different mayonnaise flavours listed in my aforementioned post, make great dips! Here however, is a great hot dip recipe …

Hot Feta & Artichoke Dip

1 390g can artichoke hearts – drained
225g crumbled feta cheese
225g mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic – finely chopped

~   Preheat oven to 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4.
~   Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts and mix together with the rest of the ingredients.
~   Turn into an appropriately attractive ovenproof dish (as you will be taking it to the table) and bake for 20-25 minutes till hot and golden brown.
~    Serve with something great to dip into it – good bread, tortilla chips of fresh veggies.

~   Make like a Belgian!  

Seemingly they “invented” dipping chips in mayonnaise and I think they did absolutely the right thing. Lovely combination!

~   Coleslaw

With just a bit of onion and some mayonnaise it is possible to turn cabbage into a delicious salad!  Here is my basic coleslaw recipe with ideas for ways to vary it.  I haven’t mentioned different flavoured mayonnaise in that post but go for it!

~   Potato Salad

Lots of potato salad ideas here. 

~   Mash mayonnaise into potatoes instead of butter 

Try horseradish mayonnaise in potatoes for beef, for instance, or how about anchovy mayonnaise in the mashed potato for fish pie?

~   Fish Cakes

There are two easy ways to make fish cakes …

1.   Mashed Potato Method – gently mix together equal-ish amounts of flaked cooked fish and potato mashed with mayonnaise of whichever flavour you fancy. Season to taste. Form into cakes and chill for 30 minutes , coat in seasoned flour and shallow fry till hot, crisp and golden.

2.   Breadcrumb Method – mix leftover cooked fish with a tablespoon of tasty mayonnaise per 100g fish. Season as appropriate and gently work in, by hand, fresh breadcrumbs till the mixture is capable of holding together. Chill and cook as above.

~   Spread mayonnaise in sandwiches

Mayo makes a nice change instead of butter, speaking of which …

~   Grilled Cheese Sarnies with Mayonnaise

These are even better with the addition of mayonnaise, grilled cheese sandwich information here.

~   Cheese on Toast with Mayo

Mayonnaise is also good mixed with grated cheese plus whatever you like, spread on toast and grilled till golden.  I usually add finely chopped red onion and a little sweet chilli sauce but use your imagination. Warning, however- this quite rich. See here for this plus other Cheese on Toast Ideas.

~   Crisply Coated Fish

When coating fish fillets for baking or frying, instead of the old flour, egg, crumbs method try coating the fish in mayonnaise and then coating with breadcrumbs or panko. See here for more info on baking fish.

~   Corn on the Cob

Mayonnaise is a great alternative to butter or take it further and make …

~   Elote – Mexican Grilled Corn

Basically, this is grilled corn cobs spread with mayonnaise (straightforward mayo is normal but Chipotle Mayonnaise is wonderful!) and sprinkled with Cojita – if you haven’t got any Cojita substitute with Feta or Parmesan.

~   Rustic Cherry Tomato Tart

Before I get into the details I’d just like to say that this is a great way to make a tart if you don’t have the necessary tart case or similar.

320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry – thawed, if frozen
100g mayonnaise – basil mayonnaise would be brilliant here
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
300g cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 egg – beaten with a pinch of salt

~   Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/180ºC fan/gas 6.
~   Lay the pastry on a baking tray.
~   Stir together the mayonnaise and grated Parmesan and spread on the pastry leaving a border of about 1cm.
~   Halve the tomatoes and arrange prettily on the mayonnaise.
~   Glaze the exposed rim of pastry with beaten egg (handy hint- try not to let any drizzle down the edge of the pastry or it won’t rise so well. Incidentally, click here if you would like 40+ more handy hints for free!)
~   Sprinkle, the whole tart including the edges, with crunchy sea salt and bake for about 25-30 minutes till risen and golden.
~   Serve warm or cold.

Grilling with Mayonnaise

Here is a useful article on how to use mayo instead of oil when grilling – I wish I’d know this when I cooked at a 6 foot wide char-grill every evening at work! 

There are lots of articles around on using mayonnaise as an ingredient in sweet baked dishes; chocolate cake, scones, cookies etc. I’ve never tried this – have you? Let me know in the comments!

In Other News … Cornwall

I am so glad we live in Cornwall – these are some of the places we have been to in the past few days, all within about 30 minutes’ drive from our home!  Lucky, lucky us!