Chinese Black Bean Mayonnaise

When soaking Chinese fermented black beans, you are faced with the same problem as you are with capers, anchovies, or salt cod: If you didn’t like the saltiness of the product, you wouldn’t be eating it in the first place. So, don’t soak out all the flavor. Yet the beans can be terrifyingly strong, and you don’t need a lot of them. More often than not, you will find this sauce is best as an accent “drizzle” sauce, for both color and taste contrasts. Poached fish with a lobster cream sauce and black bean sauce drizzled over, served with boiled fresh fava beans very lightly dressed in olive oil and seasoned, makes a meal that is an ideal balance of flavors.