Lime mayonnaise

Overview

This is a lime-accented mayonnaise development formula. The archive adapts a neutral base by replacing 8 g of its 20 g vinegar with lime juice, reducing sugar, and offering a small amount of zest as an optional final addition. These are deliberate home-formula choices, not the result of sensory testing. This development formula has not been made in a kitchen, compared by tasters, or assessed for shelf life.

McCormick México currently presents mayonnaise with a touch of lemon. That commercial product gives a relevant flavor direction, but its ingredients and production are not the same as this formula. This page does not call the recipe traditional, nor assign it an origin in Mexico.

Mayonnaise is an oil-in-water emulsion: tiny oil droplets are dispersed through a water-based phase. Egg yolk contains emulsifying components that help keep droplets dispersed; mustard contributes flavor and can support emulsion formation. Gradual oil addition gives the yolk-and-water mixture time to surround droplets. This explanation describes the proposed method, not a guarantee that every bowl, whisk, or batch will emulsify.

Method and adjustments

Dissolving salt and sugar in the watery ingredients spreads them through the base before the oil is added. Whisking the yolk and mustard into that mixture provides a continuous starting phase. Add the first oil slowly; once a cohesive emulsion forms, a thin stream is easier to incorporate than a sudden pour. If the sauce becomes too stiff to whisk, a small measured addition of water may loosen it. Record any added water because it changes the nominal yield.

The optional zest is stirred in after emulsification. It adds aromatic citrus peel without replacing the measured juice. The lime juice's acidity can vary with fruit and measurement; neither lime nor the fixed vinegar amount has been tested here as a safety treatment. The 5% acidity on the vinegar label describes that ingredient, not the finished mayonnaise's pH.

Serving and limits

The development notes suggest using this flavor direction on corn or as a base for a chili mayonnaise. Those are serving suggestions, not proof of a regional tradition. If adapting it further, change one flavor ingredient at a time and record it; additional fresh ingredients would make this a different, still untested formula.

Use pasteurised yolk sold for uncooked preparations, keep tools and hands clean, and refrigerate promptly at 4°C or colder. FDA guidance names homemade mayonnaise among uncooked-egg foods and advises use of pasteurised eggs for such recipes. The project's 24-hour working window is a cautious house rule for unvalidated prototypes, not a measured shelf life and not a claim that a batch remains safe for that period under every condition. The formula has no measured final pH, validated pathogen reduction, or shelf-life data. Do not can it or keep it at room temperature. Smell, taste, appearance, and a home pH reading cannot establish safety.