Walnut Skordalia with Lemon

Skordalia is a Greek garlic sauce that comes in two main forms — one based on potato, one on bread or nuts. This is the walnut version, which predates the potato variant and is arguably more interesting: the walnuts add fat, protein, and a bitterness that balances the raw garlic. It's traditionally served with salt cod, fried vegetables, or beets, but works as a dip or spread across a wider range of dishes.

The garlic is raw and unrestrained here — this is not a sauce that hides its garlic. Plan accordingly.

Ingredients

• 100g walnut halves, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes, drained
• 4 garlic cloves, minced and rested 10 minutes
• 1 medium potato (about 150g), boiled and cooled
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2–3 tbsp cold water
• ½ tsp flaky salt

Method

1. Soak the walnuts. Cover shelled walnuts with cold water and soak 30 minutes. This removes some of the tannins that make walnuts bitter and helps the sauce emulsify more smoothly. Drain and pat dry.

2. Rest the garlic. Mince garlic and rest 10 minutes to develop allicin.

3. Process the base. In a food processor, combine the drained walnuts, cooked potato (broken into chunks), rested garlic, and lemon juice. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes.

4. Emulsify. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly, then add cold water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce is smooth and slightly fluffy — it should be thick but spreadable, not stiff. The potato and walnuts together create a uniquely creamy texture.

5. Season and serve. Taste for salt and lemon — skordalia should be aggressively seasoned. Serve at room temperature alongside grilled fish, roasted beets, steamed vegetables, or as a dip for raw vegetables.

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What can go wrong: Skipping the walnut soak produces a more bitter, astringent sauce. Using hot potato instead of cooled creates a gluey, paste-like texture. Under-seasoning — skordalia must be assertive to work as a sauce alongside fatty fish or rich vegetables.

Science Notes

Walnuts contain ellagitannins that are metabolized by gut bacteria into urolithins — compounds with documented autophagy-promoting and anti-inflammatory properties. Soaking removes some surface tannins but retains the lipid-soluble ellagitannins deeper in the nut. The walnut's ALA omega-3 (~2.5g per 30g serving) combined with garlic allicin and olive oil oleocanthal creates a genuinely multi-mechanism cardiovascular sauce — ALA reduces arrhythmia risk, allicin modulates platelet aggregation and LDL oxidation, and oleocanthal inhibits COX enzymes.

Nutrition Highlights

• ALA omega-3: ~1.8g per serving from walnuts — the only nut with substantial omega-3 content
• Ellagitannins → Urolithins: From walnuts — metabolized by gut bacteria to autophagy-promoting compounds
• Allicin: From rested raw garlic — high-dose; modulates platelet aggregation and LDL oxidation at food doses
• Oleocanthal: From EVOO — COX inhibitor; additive with walnut ellagitannins