Food and Recipes Recipes Old Bay Mayo Be the first to rate & review! Yes, your mayonnaise needs an upgrade. By Adam Evans Adam Evans Chef Adam Evans opened his first restaurant, Automatic Seafood & Oysters, in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 2019 (already earning national recognition as one of both Esquire's and Thrillist's Best New Restaurants in America for 2019). The restaurant, named for the building's past life as an Automatic Sprinkler Corporation manufacturing facility, is located in the Lakeview neighborhood of Birmingham. Working directly with local vendors, markets, and fisheries, Chef Evans' menu features simple, high-quality seafood dishes, primarily sourced from the Gulf, which he combines with bold flavors and classic technique. Comfortable, elegant, and classic, the space at Automatic lends itself to a coastal setting — not speaking directly to one specific body of water or region, but drawing inspiration from all shorelines. Previously, the Muscle Shoals, AL native made his mark on Atlanta's culinary landscape through his signature seafood dishes at The Optimist. In 2015, Adam opened Atlanta's Brezza Cucina with Chef Jonathan Waxman, and in 2017 he returned home to Birmingham, AL with the goal of opening his dream restaurant with his wife, interior designer Suzanne Humphries Evans. Follow him on Instagram. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on December 3, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Active Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins Yield: 1 cup Mayonnaise is an integral element of almost every Southerner's diet. It brings much-needed moisture to our BLTs and fried chicken sandwiches; it's the secret ingredient in many of our famed Southern sweets, from chocolate cake to brownies. If we haven't already proved that mayo is the most versatile condiment around, let us introduce you to one of our favorite ways to use mayo: Aioli. Aioli is essentially a fancy name for mayonnaise-based sauce. You'll find it served alongside many of your favorite restaurant dishes, but did you know that it's remarkably simple to make your own aioli at home? Adam Evans, chef at award-winning Birmingham restaurant Automatic Seafood and Oysters, is letting us in on his recipe for Old Bay Mayo, the perfect accompaniment to his Crab Cake Bites. Old Bay seasoning adds a salty, savory flavor to this mayo-based sauce, which is complemented by a slew of fresh herbs, including dill and chives. Lemon zest and juice add brightness to this zingy sauce. Serve this Old Bay Mayo in a ramekin alongside your crab cakes or, for a more elegant touch, dollop a small dot atop each griddled crab cake. This recipe is one that you'll quickly memorize and keep in your weekly rotation. As far as we're concerned, there's only one brand of mayo to use in this recipe (hint: it's the long-standing Southern favorite). No mayo on your pantry shelves? Make your own in as little as 5 minutes with this simple recipe. Ingredients 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 2 lemons) 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning Directions Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days. Rate it Print