Locos con Mayonesa

Central Chilean·Medium·30 min active + 1 hour 30 min resting

Locos con Mayonesa is Chile's most prized shellfish dish — locos (Chilean abalone, Concholepas concholepas, an endemic species), boiled until tender and served cold with homemade mayonnaise and salsa verde. The species is endemic to Chile, internationally marketed as 'Chilean abalone,' and was a staple of coastal communities for millennia before commercial overfishing led to strict quotas.

Locos (Concholepas concholepas, the Chilean abalone or 'loco') is an endemic species to Chile and southern Peru — found nowhere else in the world. It is internationally marketed as 'Chilean abalone' and is one of Chile's most valuable seafood exports. The traditional preparation is simple: the locos are boiled for a long time (60-90 minutes, as the meat is very tough raw), then cooled and served cold with mayonnaise and a salsa verde (parsley, onion, garlic, oil, lemon). The dish is a staple of Chilean coastal restaurants and a luxury item — the strict quota system (resulting from overfishing in the 1990s) makes fresh locos expensive and rare.

A slice of pale, firm, slightly chewy abalone meat, cold and clean-tasting, dipped in creamy mayonnaise. The loco is dense and mineral, with a sweetness that emerges as you chew. The mayonnaise adds richness; the salsa verde adds brightness. It is the most prized shellfish in Chile.

Locos are extremely tough raw — they must be boiled for 60-90 minutes to become tender (some soak them in water with baking soda first). After boiling, they are cooled and sliced. The mayonnaise should be homemade (Chilean mayonnaise is famous for its lemon and garlic). The salsa verde (parsley, onion, garlic, oil, lemon) is the traditional accompaniment that cuts the richness.

Variations

Some serve locos in a chupe (baked with cheese); some pickle them; the mayonnaise recipe varies; some add avocado.

On the Palate

Where Locos con Mayonesa sits in the Chilean flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

How it's made

7 steps · 30 min active + 1 hour 30 min waiting

1
5 min
Clean 500 g locos (Chilean abalone); scrub well.
2
75 min
Boil in salted water with 1 onion and 2 bay leaves for 60-90 minutes until tender.
Watch out
The abalone needs a full 60 to 90 minutes of gentle boiling to turn tender — raw it's rubber-tough, and there's no shortcut here.
3
15 min
Cool in the cooking liquid; drain; slice.
4
5 min
Make mayonnaise: whisk 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp mustard, juice of 1 lemon, and 300 ml olive oil to a thick emulsion; season with salt.
Watch out
Drizzle the oil into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking hard — pour too fast and the mayonnaise breaks instead of thickening into a glossy emulsion.
5
5 min
Make salsa verde: mix 1 chopped parsley, 1 diced onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tbsp olive oil, and lemon juice.
6
2 min
Arrange the sliced locos on a plate.
7
1 min
Serve cold with mayonnaise and salsa verde on the side.

Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed

These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.

Dutch Oven

A heavy enameled or bare cast-iron lidded pot, 4-7 liters, with thick walls and a snug lid. The mass evens out hotspots; the lid traps moisture for braising. Sears on the stovetop, then transfers to a 150°C oven for 3-4 hours of even, contained heat — the structural difference between a beef bourguignon that comes out luminous and one that turns to gray mush. Le Creuset and Staub are the celebrated versions; an old American Wagner is functionally identical.

Techniques

Boiling