Skip to main content

Rouille

The classic accompaniment to Bouillabaisse (page 138), this is also a great spicy mayonnaise for use almost anywhere.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

2 small dried red chiles
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or a little more
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup roasted red pepper (page 470), peeled and seeded, canned pimiento, drained, or, better, piquillo pepper (page 47)
Salt and cayenne to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Soak the chiles in hot water to soften. Meanwhile, put the yolk, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic in a blender or food processor and turn the machine on. While it’s running, add the oil in a steady stream. When an emulsion begins to form, you can add the oil a little faster.

    Step 2

    Drain the chiles and remove their seeds; add them, along with the red pepper, and continue to blend until the mixture is smooth. Add salt and cayenne if necessary (the rouille should be quite hot). Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if you like. Best served immediately, but keep it for a few hours if you must.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
Read More
Like airy lemon chiffon cake and a Cadbury egg–inspired tart.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Like coconut lentil soup and chicken stroganoff.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Use this classic lemon curd on scones, in yogurt, or between layers of meringue.