Ajo Blanco Inspired Sauce

I had a crudo with an ajo blanco inspired sauce at Bar Étoile—creamy, light, and unforgettable. The chef thickened the classic Spanish soup to use as a sauce. At home, I made a quick version with almonds and tofu instead of bread. It’s silky, garlicky, and great on chicken, pork, or veggies. Total dinner upgrade!

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I went to Bar Étoile with my friend Jihee (owner of Perilla in Chinatown). Everything we tried was excellent, but their crudo left the biggest impression on me.

I’m a sucker for crudo—or really, any kind of cold fish appetizer—so I had to try it. Usually, crudo comes dressed with olive oil and something acidic like lime, lemon, or even passion fruit. But this one came with a creamy sauce drizzled on top, which surprised me. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about creamy sauce on raw fish—but the moment I took a bite, I was hooked.

The sauce was creamy yet light and vibrant, and I immediately thought: this would go with any protein. Lucky for us, Jihee knows the chef, so when he stopped by our table, we peppered him with questions. He explained that the sauce was essentially ajo blanco, thickened so it could work as a dressing. He mentioned testing several variations and said this version was thinned out with cauliflower pickling liquid, which added brightness and depth.

That’s the difference between restaurant and home cooking—most of us don’t have cauliflower pickling liquid just lying around. He also shared that he uses scraps from Pâtes de Fruits (the jewel-like fruit jellies they serve at the end of the meal) to flavor the crudo. Apparently, they cut the candies out with cookie cutters, and the scraps find new life in the kitchen. Genius.

Whenever I taste something new and good, I get inspired. Naturally, I had to try making the sauce at home.

What Is Ajo Blanco?

Ajo blanco is a cold soup from Andalusia, a region in southern Spain. It’s considered a cousin of gazpacho, though instead of tomatoes, it’s made from blanched almonds, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and stale bread—which gives the soup its body and texture. The flavor is creamy, nutty, and slightly tangy. It's traditionally served with green grapes or melon.

My Ajo Blanco-Inspired Sauce

I went to two of my local grocery stores in search of Marcona almonds, but no luck. (Trader Joe’s only had flavored ones.) So I grabbed a bag of regular slivered almonds instead. Traditionally, you blanch and peel whole almonds, but I wanted to keep this doable in under 30 minutes—home cooking style.

My first test batch used four cloves of garlic, which turned out way too overpowering. I also used whole wheat sourdough, which made the sauce a bit too brown. That got me thinking: what if I used tofu instead of bread?

I love using tofu as a binder—I swapped it for panko in the chicken tsukune recipe in my cookbook, and I’ve used it to smooth out dips too. I only used about 50 grams here, which gave the sauce body without dulling the flavor. Bonus: I used the leftover tofu to make Mapo Tofu the next day.

Why I Love This Sauce

This ajo blanco–inspired sauce is creamy, light, and incredibly versatile. It’s amazing with chicken breast, pork chops, or roasted vegetables. This time, I finished it simply with Maldon salt, but it’s also delicious topped with za’atar or sumac for extra zing.