Sriracha Is The Ideal Hot Sauce For Spicy Mayo

People in the U.S. love mayonnaise. It's the most popular condiment in the country, and there's a good reason for that. Not only is mayo delicious on its own, but it is also a versatile base for any number of sauces and spreads. So many recipes use mayo as the secret ingredient, from grilled cheese sandwiches to scrambled eggs, that it's almost impossible to list them all. If there's one thing that's better than regular mayo, it's spicy mayo. To take your condiment game to the next level, whisk in some Sriracha to add heat, and create Catherine Brookes' spicy mayo.

Sriracha is a Thai chili sauce with a complex garlicky flavor. It's spicy, but not to the extreme. When you temper it with mayonnaise, you end up with a creamy pale orange sauce with some tang and an element of heat. You can use other hot sauces, of course, but none of them bring quite the mysterious depth of flavor that sriracha does. Brookes describes this sauce as "the perfect combo of creamy and spicy," and the flavors are as balanced as the texture. Sriracha is thicker than most hot sauces, which means that it doesn't water down your mayo, leaving you with a much creamier sauce. Sriracha also has more sugar than most hot sauces, so it works well with the tang of mayonnaise and the tartness of lime juice.

The central flavor in this recipe comes from Sriracha hot sauce. Brookes suggests you start with one and a half tablespoons, whisked together with a half cup of mayonnaise and two teaspoons of lime juice. You can add more or less to adjust the heat."The best thing about this sauce has to be how totally easy it is to whip up," Brookes said. You can make spicy mayo in about two minutes with only three ingredients. The sauce has dozens of uses in your kitchen, from a dipping sauce for your sushi to a condiment for your sandwich.

The best thing about this recipe is that you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry. Once you've mixed all the elements together, you have a spread or dipping sauce that can enliven almost anything savory. "I think it would be great for dipping chips or fries into, or in a sandwich with cold meats," Brookes said, noting that her favorite sushi options to pair with this mayo are salmon and avocado rolls. Keep this spicy mayo in an air-tight container for a month, to pull out every time you want to give your food a little creamy kick.