I believe the eggs in mayo do the job of emulsifier. Mustard too. At least they do for people who can actually make the stuff.
They do! At least where I live. It always strikes me as a bit too thick and over-vinegary but does the job.
The lecithin in the yolks is the main emulsifier. You also have mucilage in mustard, if using.
Pellicle! I only point it out since it’s such a 'cle word.
I think this is a misunderstanding of the term, “pellicle,” though perhaps an understandable one. With respect to cookery, the only definition I’m familiar with is this one:
Here also is Merriam-Webster’s definition:
When smoking fish, you always have to give it an hour or so to develop the pellicle before putting it in the smoker if you want it the flavor to adhere.
The whitish juice that sweats out of a cooked fillet is due to extra fat in the fish, I think.
I’ve only made mayo once, mostly out of curiosity; Duke’s is good enough for anything I use mayo for. The trick I read, and which worked, was to make it in the food processor, and to pour the oil into the –
–okay, I have no idea what it’s called. You know how the lid to the processor has a cylinder that fills the hole in the feeder tube, and you can use it to smush food into the processor? That cylinder has a pinpoint hole in it. And some chef suggested adding your oil to the cylinder, so that it drips very slowly into the food processor while the blade is whirring.
That’s what I did, and it worked just fine.
Can you have one without the other? I thought it meant ‘fish surface’ and captures the changing color, texture, tackiness and appearance of the white dots.
That’s exactly what that little hole in the cylinder is for.
That said, I’ve never had a mayo failure, even though I don’t use the cylinder on my food processor. I just pour the oil into the processor so slowly it incorporates well.
I tend not to make it, though, because I can’t use it up fast enough.
Yes, you can. The pellicle is what you’re looking for before you smoke the fish. There’s no white stuff until after you smoke it. It’s the tacky, glossy finish on the fish after it’s been brined but before it is smoked.
Moreover, you get the white stuff while cooking salmon, no smoking of fish involved. I don’t know what you call the white stuff, but it’s not the pellicle. 
It’s albumen.
Thank you! Ignorance fought!
I didn’t realize we were smoking the salmon but the spots are a characteristic of the overall pellicle. High five, @chefguy, albumen.
It’s a word like patina, I guess. The fish develops pellicle which is several things that change over time. The appearance of albumen is one.
Very minor nitpick, but I believe that it’s spelled albumin when it’s not referring to the egg white.
I’m pretty sure that albumen is a type of albumin, or something like that.
I’ve made hollandaise quite a few times and I think maybe 20% of the time, I mess it up. I think I sometimes feel under imaginary pressure to get it right, and I flub it precisely because that pressure makes me rush.
Carbonara - the authentic Italian version where it’s just eggs, cheese and pepper (no cream), tempered with a bit of pasta water and cooked in the residual heat of the hot pasta, is similar - I sometimes just seem to panic for no particular reason, and mess it up.
I’ve had good luck with both of those, and with other “simple” pasta dishes that require few ingredients and a lot of patience.
I just made Hollandaise this evening, using the recipe I posted, and it came out perfectly.
Look for Black Cod (as it’s called on the West coast, but it’s not a true cod) aka Sable Fish or Butter fish on the East coast. It has just enough fat content that even if you overcook it, it’s still tender. Not overly fishy-tasting. It’s easily my favorite fish. I usually roast the fillets in the oven until done and then drizzle a little sweet soy sauce ("kecap manis") or teriyaki sauce over it afterwards.
“Surprise (sorpresa)” foods. How to do this in our day and age?
The obvious options: a pie with live blackbirds; the “Pickle Surprise” early video gag staring Ru Paul; Kinder Surprise Eggs with a toy enrobed in chocolate (made illegal in the US when it was still legal to buy mail-order sub machine guns), all are obvious inappropriate options.
Tuna Surprise had a hidden layer of chopped eggs: the Al Fresca version being a hearty version of beloved Crab Louie. But in 2025, so many rootin’-tootn’-gluten-free guests have embraced food allergies as a meaningful component of their personalities. Any “surprise” is an outrage inspiring them to hie-ye-thither to the internet for validation. “AITA?… Strangers, avenge me upon my friends for dinner last night!”
What constitutes an acceptable, mayhaps delightful gustatory surprise?
A few years ago I got a Kickstarter aluminum pot from Japan designed for waterless cooking. I’ve never quite figured out how to use it and the machine translation of the Japanese didn’t really help. Any thoughts on how to really use a waterless pot for things other than cooking frozen vegetables?
America’s Test Kitchen showed a way to make Hollandaise that has never failed me. The method is to totally blend soft (not melted) butter with the egg yolks at room temperature along with salt and lemon. This will form the emulsion without the danger of overcooking the eggs. Then heat while whisking to 160F with a double boiler. The Hollandaise will thicken nicely. You may have to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin depending on the consistency you want. The ratio of egg yolks to butter seems to vary according to the recipe, but I use 4 yolks/stick of butter.
Sometimes the butter won’t be soft enough to easily blend with the yolks at room temperature and will end up with small pieces of butter dispersed in the yolks. If you put this over a double boiler and slowly heat, the remaining butter will melt and still form a nice, stable emulsion.
Good advice. I sought black cod after reading similar praise and found it lives up to the reputation. I think I slightly prefer a softer cod or haddock (squish fish patty on a bun, lol) but the sable is a nice ace in the hole. I wouldn’t hesitate to use it for a special occasion.
This is the reason I HATE HATE HATE baking. LOVE to cook and, while I may use a recipe as a guide there’s always a ton of riffing going on as I prepare. It unfortunately means the same dish almost never comes out the same way twice (although usually it’s always good according to wifey and MIL).
I would guess it’s a surface area function. Bigger bowl means more of the mayo is exposed to air when whisking and more air gets whipped into the mixture. Just a guess though and I could be WAY off base.