YOU MIGHT HAVE heard about—or even tried—last year’s trendy Thanksgiving trick of slathering your turkey in mayonnaise before its turn in the oven. Eyebrows were raised, but hardly anyone could dispute the results: richly bronzed skin, uncommonly juicy meat, applause for the cook.
Chefs have been using this tactic for years, and not just on holiday birds. The science behind it is simple. Mayo is an emulsion, so it sticks to foods better than other fats, such as oil and butter, which tend to melt off. And because of its chemical composition (specifically, the egg yolks), it yields super-enhanced browning—the Maillard reaction that grill nerds are fond of citing. It really can be a game-changer. Smear it on your grilled cheese, your grilled corn, your chicken breasts, your steaks, your backstraps.
And definitely on those fish fillets you haul home after a day on the water. Cooking fillets can be a challenge—they have a habit of sticking to pans (and all but welding themselves to grill grates), and efforts to dislodge them frequently end in ruined or, at best, messy shards of fish. That’s where the mayo trick comes in. Spread a dollop of mayo on the fillets, as though you’re frosting a cake. A light glaze is all you need. Cook as usual, whether on the stove or at the grill, but without the standard anxiety. Mayo’s got your back.
But what about the taste? You won’t detect any mayonnaise-y flavors; that absence, as countless Thanksgiving skeptics will attest, is part of the magic. But you can use your mayo schmear as a vehicle for adding other flavors. Make a Cajun-inspired mayo by adding Cajun spice mix and dashes of Tabasco and Worcestershire, and slather it on some redfish or crappie fillets. Swirl some chipotle adobo into mayo for grilling fish for tacos. Or try the two recipes below.
Mayo lets you add any number of herbs, spices, or flavors to your catch. (Christopher Testani; food and prop styling by Roscoe Betsill)
Dill, Caraway, and Vodka Mayo
This one is a natural on coldwater species such as pike, trout, salmon, and char.
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. caraway seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tsp. vodka
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Lemongrass, Ginger, and Chili Mayo
This gives a fresh, invigorating kick to any kind of fish. It’s especially good on saltwater species.
Ingredients
½ cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. minced lemongrass
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. chili sauce, such as Sriracha
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
