10 Ways to Use Mayo-Ketchup
Mayo-ketchup is the pink sauce that sits next to almost everything fried in Puerto Rico. It's mayonnaise, ketchup and a little garlic, and with store-bought mayo it's ready in about a minute. One batch makes about 1 1/3 cups (320 ml), plenty for a party.
Because it's made with mayonnaise, it always goes back in the fridge after serving. Here are ten easy ways to use it, from breakfast to burger night. If you can stir, you can make every one of these.
The classic: tostones
Crispy tostones and mayo-ketchup are best friends. Plan on about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of sauce per person. Sprinkle the tostones with coarse salt while they're hot, then dip.
Sorullitos for breakfast
In Puerto Rico, sorullitos, cheesy cornmeal fingers, are a favorite breakfast, and they always come with mayo-ketchup. Set out 1/2 cup (120 ml) for a batch. You can shape them the night before, keep them covered in the fridge and fry them in the morning.
On a tripleta or any sandwich
Spread 1 tablespoon (15 ml) on each side of the roll for a tripleta, the Puerto Rican sandwich with steak, chicken and ham. It's just as good on a simple ham and cheese. Toast the bread first, so the sauce doesn't make it soggy.
A new burger sauce
Use mayo-ketchup as the sauce on a classic cheeseburger, about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) per bun. For a smoky twist, stir a pinch of smoked paprika into the sauce. Cook the patties until they reach 71°C (160°F) in the center.
Dip for fries and yuca fries
French fries or yuca fries, hot from the oil, with a bowl of mayo-ketchup: nobody says no. Use about 1/2 cup (120 ml) for 4 people. A squeeze of lime in the sauce balances all that fried food.
A platter of Puerto Rican fritters
For a party, fry a mix of bolitas de yuca, alcapurrias and bacalaítos and set the mayo-ketchup in the middle. A full batch, about 1 1/3 cups (320 ml), is enough for about 10 people. Keep the bowl small and refill it from the fridge, since mayonnaise shouldn't sit out more than 2 hours.
With crispy chicken bites
Chicharrón de pollo, crispy bites of marinated chicken, is great dipped in mayo-ketchup, and so are homemade chicken nuggets. Plan on about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) per person. Fry the chicken until it reaches 74°C (165°F) inside; a thermometer takes out the guessing.
Pink sauce for cold shrimp
Mayo-ketchup is close to the salsa rosada served with shrimp in many Latin countries. The Thermomix® TM7™ steams the shrimp in the Varoma for my classic shrimp cocktail; chill them and serve them with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of mayo-ketchup and lime wedges. At a party, keep the shrimp and the sauce on ice.
Spicy mayo-ketchup for wings
Stir 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of hot sauce into 1/2 cup (120 ml) of mayo-ketchup and serve it with chicken wings or fried fish. Start with less hot sauce and taste, because you can always add more but you can't take it out.
Cookouts: keep it cold
Mayo-ketchup in a squeeze bottle next to the hot dogs and burgers makes any cookout feel like a beach kiosk. Keep the bottle in a cooler with ice between servings. Outdoors on a hot day above 32°C (90°F), it shouldn't sit out more than 1 hour.
Mix a small batch tonight and try it with whatever you're frying. Cook along with me: if I learned to cook, you can too.
