The Only Salad Dressing You Need
I stopped buying EVOO pre-made salad dressing years ago when I started furiously reading ingredient labels (yes I’m that person now). They may taste good, and they’re quick and easy to throw on some lettuce but the additives and preservatives…. I couldn’t justify it.
Back to the one and only olive oil salad dressing you’ll ever need, it’s embarrassingly simple. Six ingredients, and a hard whisk method and it makes everything - a bowl of leafy greens, roasted vegetables, pasta - taste like something you’d order at a restaurant.
Keep it in a jar at room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge for a up to a week.
Creamy Lemon EVOO Vinaigrette
The Dressing
This is a less recipe and more ratio, once you’ve done it a few times you’ll never need to measure again.
It’s all in the method, creating a vibrant, emulsified vinaigrette. A “creamy” dressing without the dairy.
Ingredients
150ml - 200ml extra EVOO
Half a lemon
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Seeded Mustard
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
60ml White Wine Vinegar
Salt to taste
Method
Whisk Base: Combine 60ml white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp seeded mustard, and 1 tbsp brown sugar in a bowl.
Add Citrus & Seasoning: Add the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt to taste.
Emulsify - The most important part! Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until thick and creamy.
Taste, adjust: Add more vinegar if you want it sharper, more oil if you want it rounder.
Key: Whisk to emulsify
What to Put It On
Everything, basically. But here’s what I use it most on:
Simple Green Salad - Cos lettuce for crunch, with chives or dill. Add cucumbers. Let the dressing do the heavy lifting.
Roasted Vegetables - Drizzle over warm zucchini, capsicum, eggplant, carrot or potatoes straight from the oven.
Pasta Salad - A cooked pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, spinach and herbs.
Simple Green Leaf Salad
The Ratio to Remember
3 Parts Oil : 1 Part Acid : 1 Spoon of Mustard
That’s it. Everything else is negotiable. Swap the white vinegar for red wine vinegar, swap brown sugar for honey or add garlic for a punch to sharpen.
Make it yours, but make it often.
If you try this, I’d love to know what you put it on - leave a comment. There’s nothing I like more than hearing that someone made something simple and it worked.
