This is my new favorite vinaigrette. I love the mediterranean combination of lemon and olive oil. I think it's the most verstaile dressing I make - it goes well with a wide range of vegetables, from salads, to potatoes, to shredded carrots, to green beans. It's the dressing for Salad Nicoise, Greek Salad, and Carottes Rapees; all you do is vary the herbs you use.
📖 Recipe Card
Lemon Herb Dressing
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A versatile Mediterranean lemon and olive oil dressing with garlic and fresh herbs - for salad Niçoise, Greek salad, and carottes râpées.
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs - any combination of parsley, thyme, basil and oregano
Instructions
- Dissolve the salt and sugar: Whisk the salt, sugar, pepper, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small bowl until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 10 seconds.
- Add the oil slowly: Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking until creamy and emulsified.
- Add the herbs: Add the minced herbs, and whisk to combine.
Notes
Makes enough for a pound each of boiled new potatoes and green beans, or a 10 ounce bag of romaine lettuce (about 3 quarts).
Easy way: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until creamy. Without mustard to bind it, you'll have to whisk hard to emulsify it - but it still tastes great if it separates.
This dressing separates quickly. You can add a little Dijon mustard, but I just give it an extra whisk right before tossing the salad.
Herbs: Any herb works here - I've also used tarragon and mint. If you only have dried herbs, use half as much (1 ½ teaspoons total), and let them soak in the lemon juice for a few minutes before adding the oil.
Salad Niçoise: Toss romaine, boiled green beans and boiled new potatoes with the dressing, and serve with good canned tuna, Niçoise olives and hard boiled eggs.
Greek salad: Use oregano as the only herb.
Carottes râpées: Toss with grated carrots for the French carrot salad (see David Lebovitz's post).
I like the sweet-sour balance of lemon with a little sugar. Depending on what you're dressing, up to 2 teaspoons of sugar works well.
See my Vinaigrette Basic Technique for an overview of the method.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inspired by:
Cook's Illustrated - Nicoise Salad recipe
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Anonymous says
Recipe sounds delicious! I'm going to try it ASAP. Here's a tip that'll save your whisking arm but hit your finesse score: go James Bond on your dessing. Pop your ingredients into a jar or bottle and shake vigorously to emulsify. Works just fine for my balsamic vinaigrette home brew.