The Easy Way Bobby Flay Instantly Upgrades Mayo

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To many, mayonnaise is already one of the best ingredients in the world; however, making the emulsion even better is shockingly simple, and is often accomplished by increasing the spice level. For celebrity chef and highly successful restaurant owner, Bobby Flay, the best way to do just that is by adding a special chili pepper called aji amarillo to the mix.

As part of a 2024 interview with Mashed, Flay revealed that using the pepper to improve his mayo was among his favorite techniques he learned over the past few years. "You just scoop it out and add it to mayonnaise," Flay said of the puréed version of the pepper, like Inca's Food's aji amarillo paste. "I actually use it in a fried chicken dish where I have this spicy aji amarillo mayonnaise," he added. "So, so good. I've been using that a lot." This strategy is similar to using sriracha to make homemade spicy mayo, but aji amarillo peppers give mayonnaise a much more intricate taste due to the fruity and nutty flavors this unique ingredient is known for.

While many puréed peppers and pepper pastes can be added to mayonnaise to make it even more delicious, aji amarillo peppers in particular lend a special magic due to their signature flavor profile. The yellow chili pepper is among the holy trinity of ingredients in Peruvian cuisine, with its versatility being celebrated in countless South American recipes. More specifically, aji amarillo peppers work incredibly well in sauces like Peruvian green sauce, crema de aji amarillo, and even a boosted version of chimichurri, the latter of which was demonstrated by Bobby Flay on an episode of "Beat Bobby Flay," back in 2018.

As for why Flay and many other American chefs use aji amarillo paste rather than the real thing, the reason comes down to a lack of worldwide availability of the Peruvian staple in its freshest form. While fresh and frozen versions of the peppers can sometimes be found in the Peruvian section of Latin American grocery stores — and can be used in place of chili peppers in just about any dish that includes them — the jarred versions of the ingredient work just as well as whole peppers (if not even more conveniently) when used to make spicy mayonnaise.

Static Media owns and operates Mashed and The Takeout.