A bold aioli of preserved lemon, tarragon, and garlic. Creamy, sharp, and built to brighten grilled veg, fish, or wraps. From Chef James.
🍋 PRESERVED LEMON & TARRAGON AIOLI
Briny citrus. Green perfume. A creamy knife.
📄 Recipe Card
Title: Preserved Lemon & Tarragon Aioli
Author: Chef James
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 (no-heat recipe)
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: ~1 cup
Skill Level: Intermediate
Tags: aioli, lemon garlic sauce, tarragon dip, citrus aioli, bold mayo
🧄 Ingredients:
1 small clove garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon (rind only)
1/2 cup mayonnaise or homemade aioli base
1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Optional: splash of olive oil for richness
🥄 Instructions:
Prep the sharp bits.
Mince garlic and preserved lemon finely—almost to a paste.
Build the base.
In a bowl, mix mayo, lemon juice, mustard, tarragon, and preserved lemon.
Whisk for shine.
Add olive oil if desired and whisk until silky. Salt to taste.
Let it settle.
Rest in the fridge 10+ minutes for flavors to bloom. Keeps 3–5 days.
🍽️ Use On:
Grilled artichokes, roasted potatoes, or asparagus
Fried fish, crab cakes, or lamb burgers
As a bold dip for flatbreads or raw vegetables
Spread on sandwiches or wrap into grain bowls
This is the brightest bite on the plate. Use it on grilled artich chokes, roasted potatoes or asparagus, fried fish, crab cakes or lambburgers as a bold dip for flatbreads or raw vegetables. Spread on sandwiches or wrap into grain bowls. It starts with the preserved lemon finely minced. Then we add teragon, chopped garlic, crushed, and then a swirl of mayo, lemon juice, and salt. This is preserved lemon and teragon ioli. Spread it. Let it slice. Bright, briney, built to cut through anything rich. Can’t decide what to do with it.