Easy Trini garlic sauce
This creamy Trini garlic sauce is one of those sauces I could put on just about anything. Made with mayonnaise, plenty of garlic, chadon beni, and a few simple ingredients, it comes together in about 10 minutes.
Garlic sauce is a popular condiment in Trinidad and Tobago. You may know it as one of the sauces piled onto bake and shark, but these days you’ll find it served with all kinds of street food and meals.
What makes this version distinctly Trini is the addition of chadon beni, an herb that shows up in so much of our cooking. It adds its own fresh, slightly pungent flavor alongside the garlic and helps give the sauce that familiar Trini taste.
If you love the sauces we serve alongside our food, try my tamarind chutney too.
What is Trinidad garlic sauce?
Trinidad garlic sauce is a creamy, mayonnaise-based condiment flavored with plenty of garlic, chadon beni, lime juice, and a little sugar.
The garlic is the main flavor, while the chadon beni adds some tanginess and the sugar helps balance everything out. The result is a creamy, garlicky sauce that works as both a topping and a dip.
How to make Trini garlic sauce
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this garlic sauce.
- Garlic: This is the main flavor of the sauce, so don’t be shy with it.
- Mayonnaise: This makes up the creamy base of the garlic sauce. I like using Hellmann’s mayonnaise because I find it already has good flavor on its own.
- Chado beni (culantro): Adds that familiar Trini flavor to the sauce. If you can’t find chadon beni, you can use cilantro, although the flavor won’t be quite the same.
- Sugar: A little brown or granulated sugar helps balance the garlic and tanginess.
- Lime juice: Adds acidity and helps brighten up the sauce.
Instructions
This is a quick, no-cook sauce. You’ll need a blender or food processor to get the garlic and chadon beni finely blended.
- Peel the garlic cloves and trim off the hard stem ends. Wash the garlic and chadon beni well, then roughly chop the chadon beni.
- Add the garlic and chadon beni to a blender or food processor and blend until finely chopped.
- Add a portion of the mayonnaise and blend again. This helps the garlic and chadon beni blend smoothly into the creamy base.
- Add the remaining mayonnaise, sugar, and lime juice. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust the sugar, lime juice, or seasonings as needed.
Tips and variations
This recipe makes a thicker garlic sauce, but you can easily adjust the consistency and flavors to suit your taste.
- For a thinner sauce: Add a little water at a time until it reaches the consistency you like. This thins the sauce without adding much extra flavor.
- For more tang: Use white vinegar to thin the sauce instead of water, or add a little more lime juice.
- For more heat: Add fresh hot pepper, such as Scotch bonnet or habanero, and blend it into the sauce.
- For more chadon beni flavor: Add a few extra leaves to make its flavor more prominent.
- For extra seasoning: Mustard, lime zest, chives, black pepper, or a little salt can also be added to taste.
Serving Suggestions
Trini garlic sauce is one of those condiments you can use on just about anything. Serve it as a dip, drizzle it over food, or even use it in place of regular mayonnaise on sandwiches.
Try it:
- On bake and shark or burgers
- As a dipping sauce for saltfish accra
- Over steak, lamb, or other grilled meats
- Drizzled over pelau
- As a dip for French fries
Storage
Store homemade garlic sauce in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator. For the best quality, use it within about 1 week.
A condiment squeeze bottle also works well for storing and serving the sauce. I sometimes reuse the mayonnaise squeeze bottle after making mine. Always use clean utensils and return the sauce to the refrigerator promptly after serving.
More Must-Try Condiments
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best quality, store the garlic sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use it within about 1 week.
If your garlic sauce is thinner than you’d like, blend in a little more mayonnaise until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Discard the sauce if you notice mold, an unpleasant or unusual smell, or other clear signs of spoilage. If you’re unsure whether it’s still good, throw it out.
Recipe
Trini Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the garlic cloves and trim off the hard stem ends. Wash the garlic and chadon beni well, then roughly chop the chadon beni.
- Add the garlic and chadon beni to a blender or food processor and blend until finely chopped.
- Add some of the mayonnaise and blend again until the garlic and chadon beni are well incorporated.
- Add the remaining mayonnaise, sugar, and lime juice. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- If you prefer a thinner sauce, add water or white vinegar a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust as needed.
Nutrition
Notes
- For a spicier sauce, blend in fresh Scotch bonnet, habanero, or another hot pepper to taste.
- For a thinner sauce, add water or white vinegar about 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your preferred consistency. Water will thin the sauce without adding much extra flavor, while vinegar will make it tangier.
- You can also adjust the flavor with additional chadon beni, mustard, lime zest, chive, black pepper, or salt.
- This recipe makes enough to fill approximately one 16-ounce jar.
- If using a small blender, such as a Bullet-style blender, you may need to stop and shake the container as you blend to help the mayonnaise move down toward the blades. You can also finish combining the sauce with a spoon once everything is well blended.
Recipe Printed From ThisBagoGirl.com
Great recipe, I usually add a little white vinegar to mine…
Thanks! Oooh I'll try that next time.
Made this today. Was exactly what I wanted. I like mine runny so add the maximum amount of water listed. I say add a bit at a time to get it to the consistency you like.
Hey Yvvonne. Glad to hear this worked out for you.