The Mayo Swap That'll Take Your Potato Salad To The Next Level

Whether a salad consists of lettuce, grains, or beans, the dressing is what unites all the ingredients into a flavorful harmony. For potato salad, a mayonnaise-based dressing is a classic choice, bringing a creamy and rich complement to the earthy savoriness of potatoes. If you're a fan of the classic, a mayo swap might sound off-putting, but the swap that'll take your potato salad to the next level isn't for oil and vinegar. Instead, you can improve a mayonnaise-based dressing by replacing regular mayonnaise with kewpie mayonnaise.

Kewpie mayonnaise hails from Japan and has gotten plenty of praise from famous chefs and gourmet publications alike for its unique and delicious flavor and texture. While typical mayonnaise blends whole eggs and oil into a creamy, slightly sweet condiment, kewpie mayonnaise uses only egg yolks with mustard powder and three types of vinegar for a significantly richer savory mayonnaise with a tangy, spicy kick. Furthermore, kewpie mayonnaise has a proprietary emulsification process that you can't mimic at home, resulting in an especially velvety, fluffy texture.

Kewpie's umami flavor profile and whipped consistency are the ultimate upgrade to potato salad, enhancing the savoriness of earthy potatoes, aromatics, and boiled eggs while also bestowing the smoothest, creamiest coating. You can substitute regular mayonnaise for kewpie mayonnaise in your favorite potato salad recipe without making any changes to ingredient proportions. Because kewpie mayonnaise has become a global sensation, it's easy to find online or at grocery stores.

In addition to a mayonnaise swap, there are plenty of other ways to elevate a potato salad. As a Japanese product, kewpie mayonnaise offers that special umami savoriness coined by Japanese researchers and characteristic of the inherent flavors of Japanese cuisine. Consequently, you can try this Japanese potato salad recipe from acclaimed chef and restauranteur Paul Qui, adapted by Tasting Table. It contains salted cucumber, cooked carrots, yellow onions, and starchy Idaho potatoes.

Kewpie mayonnaise will add richness and creaminess to ingredients and flavors from around the globe. You can mix kewpie mayo with dijon, honey, and smoked paprika, creating a well-rounded sweet, savory, smoky dressing for potatoes, celery, green onions, and hard-boiled eggs. If you're a fan of fresh herbs, you can add dill, parsley, and cilantro to kewpie mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon juice. Pickled, brined, and fermented ingredients like capers, cornichons, banana peppers, and olives would enhance umami-forward kewpie mayo and add a nice textural complement to soft, tender potatoes. Or, a dash of sriracha, cajun seasoning, or Tabasco sauce would complement the savoriness of the dressing and ingredients with a spicy, tangy finish.