Achieve Vibrant Store-Bought Mayo With A Pinch Of Saffron

Mayo usually isn't much to write home about, especially store-bought mayo. It's tasty and useful for spreading on sandwiches and mixing into salads, but often it's not particularly dazzling or unique — it's just there. As plain as it is, though, this makes it the perfect canvas for adding ingredients, from a touch of spice via hot sauce or chilis to the tangy punch of a squeeze of ketchup or a handful of chopped pickles. If you want to get particularly luxe with your store-bought mayonnaise, though, there's a premium ingredient you can add to not only boost flavor, but to give your condiment a pop of color: saffron.

Saffron may be a bit expensive, but a little goes a very long way with this spice. A single pinch of threads dropped into the mayo will soon transform the condiment with a tinge of earthy sweetness and a pleasant bright yellow color, perfect for topping burgers or dipping french fries. Saffron mayonnaise goes especially well with seafood, including mussels and lobster, as well as in dishes like potato salad.

Saffron is one of those culinary ingredients that's revered in the kitchen for being high-value and adding a lavish touch to any dish. It is, after all, the world's most expensive spice, clocking in between $10 and $20 per gram. Luckily, most dishes calling for saffron only require a small pinch of strands; even just a touch of this spice can add flavor and rich color to whatever food it touches, mayonnaise included.

Saffron's flavor is difficult to describe, but some mark it as lightly sweet, floral, and earthy. The spice itself comes from purple crocus flowers — crocus sativus, to be exact — a type of iris. The flower's stigmas, which sprout from its center and are bright orange, are harvested and can be sold as threads or ground into a powder. There are also different grades of saffron, as fraudulent and low-quality saffron products can, unfortunately, be common.

To make saffron mayonnaise, add a pinch of saffron directly to 1 cup of store-bought mayonnaise and allow it to sit for a few minutes, until dissolved. Then stir the dissolved saffron into the mayonnaise, incorporating it completely.

If you prefer, you can also grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle into a powder. Mix this with a teaspoon of lemon juice and let sit for approximately five minutes; once the lemon juice has turned bright yellow, strain the liquid and add it to the mayonnaise, stirring to combine.

If the luxury of saffron doesn't interest you, there are plenty of lower-cost ways to jazz up a dollop of store-bought mayonnaise. With such a mild flavor, mayo takes well to a medley of different additions and can be adapted specifically to the recipe you want to use it for. 

Try a handful of chopped fresh herbs and a squirt of lemon for something light and refreshing in potato salad or a veggie sandwich (dill and chives work especially well). Or add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes into the mix if the mayo will be for dipping raw vegetables. A drizzle of soy sauce and a pinch of wasabi, or dash of sriracha, can kick up a mayo that would go well on homemade sushi. Salty additions like anchovy paste and capers can add a nice, briny pop if you're spreading the mayo on a fish sandwich.

Whether it's a spice in your pantry or a sauce in your fridge, there's a reasonable chance it'll go well with the neutral taste of mayonnaise. Experiment to find your preferred combinations for whatever you're preparing!